Organization Info

Division Officials' Responsibilities

Chair

The Chair of the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division is elected to a two-year term by the Division membership by ballot in the fall. The Chair serves as chair-elect for two years, then as chair for two years.

Responsibilities

  1. Coordinates communication among members of the Executive Committee.
  2. Represents the Division at all official ACS-sponsored functions and any other meetings sponsored or co-sponsored by the Division. If the Chair is not able to attend, then the Chair appoints someone to represent the Division.
  3. Attends Divisional Officer's caucus at the National ACS meeting.
  4. Updates the Division Officer's handbook, appointing/re-appointing all non-elective officers and committee chairmen. [Rechecks all job descriptions annually.]
  5. Appoints committee chairs and committee members as directed by the Division By-Laws.
  6. Prepares the agenda for the Executive Committee meeting at the Spring and Fall ACS National meetings and is the Chair of the Executive Committee. Arranges for the necessary meeting room.
  7. Checks to see that elected Councilors will represent the Division at Council Meetings. If they are not able to attend, the Chair provides suitable certification for an Alternate or appoints a suitable representative if Alternates cannot attend. Call Councilors before National meetings.
  8. Announces the winner of the Anselme Payen Award at the Spring National ACS meeting and writes to the Anselme Payen winner informing him/her of their selection.
  9. Chairs the Annual Division business meeting held at the Spring National ACS meeting.
  10. Serves as Master of Ceremonies at the annual banquet at the Spring National ACS meeting.
  11. Coordinates all Divisional activities with the Chair-elect for information and continuity.
  12. Communicates with ACS Headquarters to keep them informed of Divisional activities.
  13. Directs inquiries to the Division to the appropriate Executive committee members.
  14. Communicates with other ACS Divisions on joint activities.
  15. It is the responsibility of the Division Chair to obtain a memorandum of agreement between this Division and any other organization with which the Division will participate in co-hosted, cosponsored or joint technical meetings. Chair will follow all applicable ACS Guidelines for such collaborations, which may be found at the ACS website.
  16. Responsible to see that all Executive committee jobs are being done.
  17. Is the person who carries the sign -- "The buck stops here."

Chair-Elect

The Chair-Elect is elected by biannual vote of the members of the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division of the ACS. The Chair-Elect shall serve for two years, starting January 1 following the election. Then the Chair-Elect will become Chair, and serve in that position for two years (see Job Description for Chair).

Responsibilities

  1. The Chair-Elect, in cooperation with the Program Committee Chair, is responsible for appointment of new members of the Program Committee. The Chair-Elect is an ex- officio member of the Program Committee.
  2. The Chair-Elect shall nominate to the Award Chair three Judges to serve for three years each on the Anselme Payen award panel.
  3. The Chair-Elect shall attend the ACS's Leadership Training meeting held in January or February of each year; it would be desirable to attend in the year immediately prior to assuming the chairmanship. The expenses are covered by the ACS and the Division.
  4. The Immediate Past Chair is responsible in the absence of the Chair for all duties of the Chair. The Chair-Elect shall serve as back-up for the Immediate past Chair in this regard.

Secretary

The Secretary of the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division is elected by the membership in a fall ballot to a two-year term, following nomination by the Nominating Committee of the Division, and performs the following functions:

Responsibilities

  1. Recording minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting (held at each National meeting, and at such other times as the Chair may deem appropriate) and Business Meeting (held annually at the Spring National Meeting) and distributing them to all officers of the Division in a timely manner.
  2. Conducting mail ballot elections for Councilors and Alternate Councilors and certifying election results prior to November 15th of each year.
  3. Coordinating and honoring requests from other officers and ACS headquarters with regard to membership, symposia, Divisional activities and other related matters.
  4. Performing other functions (listed in detail under Specific Duties) prior to, during, and after national meetings.
  5. The Secretary shall be the Assistant Treasurer. If the Treasurer is incapacitated, or absent, or if the Treasurer's office is vacant, the Secretary shall fulfill the duties of the Treasurer.

Specific Functions

  1. New Letterheads. Once new officers have been elected and Alternate Councilors and Councilors have been certified, make new Division letterheads available for new officers (it is acceptable to send to officers electronically). Distribute to all Division officers on the letterhead.
  2. Division Annual Report. An Annual Report (both narrative and financial) is required no later than March 15th by ACS Divisional Activities Office. It should adhere to the format and forms sent by that office. The financial report is the responsibility of the Treasurer. The narrative report is prepared by the Secretary working cooperatively with the Program Chair who is more familiar with many of the program details requested, and with the Chair. A copy of the report will be sent electronically to all Executive Committee members.
  3. Certificates for Symposia Organizers. The Program Chair will request that certificates be made prior to the Spring and Fall meetings by the Secretary-Treasurer and distributed at the meeting (or mailed) to various symposia organizers.
  4. Spring and Fall Meetings. The following items need to be ready for distribution at the Executive Committee Meeting:
    1. copies of the minutes of the last Executive Committee meeting
    2. the Divisional banner
    3. agenda of the Executive Committee Meeting provided by the Division Chair (including any attachments, reports, or other material provided by committee members)
    4. Annual Report (Narrative) that was submitted to the Divisional Activities Committee of ACS.
  5. Ballot Election. Conduct a ballot election for those nominated for vacant positions and certify the results to ACS Divisional Activities office no later than November 15. Mail and electronic ballots are both permissible, provided that procedures for electronic ballots provide reasonable assurance that only members vote and that "one person, one vote" is observed.

Treasurer

The Treasurer of the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division is nominated by the Nominating Committee of the Division, then is elected in the fall by membership ballot to a two-year term. The Treasurer performs the following functions:

Responsibilities

  1. Prepare a financial report (details given below) to be distributed to the Executive Committee at each national meeting and submit an annual financial report no later than March 15th of each year to the ACS Office of Divisional Activities.
  2. Prepare a proposed Budget to be distributed at the Fall meeting for the following calendar year. Approval of said Budget as provided or amended by the Executive Committee provides spending authority to the Treasurer.
  3. Collect funds earned through Divisional dues and other allotments, book royalties, savings and checking accounts, and other investments (approved by the Executive Committee) in which the Division is involved.
  4. Maintain approved checking/savings/investment accounts in the Division's name. Both the Treasurer and Secretary, in the Treasurer's absence, have the authority to conduct financial transactions such as signing checks. The Treasurer is responsible for having the appropriate signatures on record at the financial institutions.
  5. Disburse funds from separate Operational (Divisional), APA and Graduate Student Award accounts for various expenses incurred in postage, printing, social and guest registration meeting expenses, publicity, membership awards, and other expenses.
  6. Maintaining accurate sub-accounts for funds being held in general checking/saving accounts. Examples are funds from industry dedicated to a specific symposium, funds for programming allocated by the Executive Committee, and disbursements delegated to the Program Chair.
  7. Invest Division funds in accordance with current guidelines approved by the Executive Committee to achieve the best yield and interest of assets.

Specific Functions

  1. Dues Status and Change. Respond to requests from ACS with regard to fees for affiliates, members, students, and other categories (requested usually February-March of calendar year).
  2. Division Annual Report. An Annual Report (both narrative and financial) is required no later than March 15th by the ACS Divisional Activities Office. The financial report is the responsibility of the Treasurer. It should adhere to the format and forms prescribed by that office. This report should cover the preceding calendar year.
  3. National Meetings. The following items need to be ready for distribution at the Executive Committee Meeting:
    1. Treasurer's Report (covering the past four 6-month periods) including
      • Status of Funds
      • Income and expenditures
    2. Annual Report that was submitted to the ACS Office of Divisional Activities (Spring Meeting only).
    3. checkbook containing sufficient APA, Graduate Student Award, and Divisional funds to cover any expenses needed or requested by officers
    4. Checks ready for the appropriate amount to be given to the APA and Graduate Student Awardees (Spring meeting only)
    5. Copies of the last three years' Treasurer's reports.
  4. Tax Returns. The Treasurer will file a 990 or 990EZ return with the Internal Revenue Service, along with the accompanying Schedule A. This is due May 15 of each year. The Treasurer will also file the appropriate state return.
  5. Acknowledgement of contributions. The Treasurer will acknowledge each contribution with a letter that includes the following statement:

    6. "Under the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993 and Internal Revenue Code Section 170, this letter acknowledges the above mentioned contribution and confirms that no goods or services are being given to you in return for this contribution. You should maintain this letter for tax purposes."

  6. Tax Consequences of Awards. The Treasurer shall not disburse any award funds of $600 or more to recipients without first having received from the recipient his or her social security number and home address. The Treasurer then must issue a completed 1099-MISC form to the recipient and then file all 1099-MISC forms (along with cover Form 1096) with the Internal Revenue Service by February 15 of the following year. Alternatively, the Treasurer must withhold a portion of the award funds, as specified by Tax Code.
  7. The duties of submitting the ACS Annual Report and all tax filings are the responsibility of the Treasurer who served during the reportable year.

Specific Financial Profile

  1. Maintain separate assets, expenses and revenues in the Operational, APA and Graduate Student Award accounts. The following types of expenses will be incurred: APA (APA Award itself and associated expenses such as corsages, centerpieces, etc.); Division (separates, printing, postage, guest registrations, social functions at meeting, plaques and certificates).
  2. The following revenues will be accrued from interest and dividends from placement of the funds in accordance with the mandate of the Executive Committee as stated in 3.
  3. The Division and APA assets are to be invested as approved by the Executive Committee.

Program Chair

The Program Chair is appointed by the Division Chair-Elect after consulting with the Chair and the Executive Committee. The Program Chair shall serve for a period of two years and be a voting member of the Executive Committee. Such programs shall promote interest in the fields of activities of this Division, and shall provide opportunity for individual contributions to the field. The Program Chair performs the following functions:

  1. The Program Chair shall be responsible for arranging the technical programs for the upcoming National ACS meeting and other Division sponsored meetings in compliance with the current edition of the American Chemical Society National Meetings Handbook for Technical Program Planners. These duties include:
    1. Communication with symposium chairs; make sure they are aware of deadlines, that they advertise their symposia by distributing fliers at previous meetings, on the Division website, and in other appropriate places. Make sure they are making good progress in lining up speakers and funding, getting abstracts in on time, and organizing their half-day sessions (sequence of speakers, breaks, appointment of session chairs).
    2. Decide on and communicate to all interested parties (ACS, the symposium chairs, the chair) the sequence of symposia sessions, the number of rooms required, and any special requirements.
    3. Work with other divisions and other societies as appropriate to identify co-sponsorship opportunities. Execute with appropriate approvals CO-sponsorship agreements with divisions and other societies that co-sponsor CELL symposia, or whose symposia CELL co-sponsors.
    4. Provide information as requested to ACS through the OASYS on-line abstract submission system (or its successor).
    5. Work closely with the Payen Award nominators and symposium organizers, the Awards Chair, and the Chair to coordinate Payen technical programming with the annual Spring Awards banquet (that is centered around the Payen award).
    6. Organize at least one poster session at each ACS national meeting in which CELL participates, to provide opportunity to our membership to present and/or view the work of our members in a highly interactive environment.
  2. The Program Chair in consultation with the Chair shall appoint and chair a Program Committee, which shall consist of up to ten (10) other members. The Chair-Elect is an ex-officio member of the Program Committee. The duties of the Program Committee shall be to arrange technical programs for future National ACS meetings and other Division sponsored meetings in compliance with the current edition of the American Chemical Society National Meetings Handbook for Technical Program Planners
  3. The Program Chair shall represent the Division at the annual ACS Program Committee Chairs' meeting; the expenses are covered by the ACS.
  4. The Program Chair shall chair an annual open program meeting at the Spring National ACS meeting. This meeting is normally held in conjunction with the Division Business Meeting. This meeting provides an opportunity for all Division members to contribute ideas for future programming and to volunteer to organize future programs.

Jobs not provided on 2003 info

Councilors (unedited in 2003)

The Council is the Society's House of Representatives. It is suggested that Division officers assure themselves in advance that candidates for Councilor or Alternate Councilor, if elected, believes he will be able to attend most, if not all, of the Council meetings during their term of office. Reelection of effective Councilors is strongly recommended, because the greatest contribution to the Society can be made by those who are most familiar with Council operations and Society affairs.

ACS Bylaws require that Division and Local Section Councilors be elected by mail ballot. Division secretaries must certify Councilors prior to December 1. Increased Divisional representation in Council became effective January 1, 1978. Those Divisions entitled to three Councilors should be electing one each year. There should also be designated sufficient Alternate Councilors to provide for any possible loss of representation at Council meetings.

The work of Council is accomplished via Society Commissions, Society Committees, Council "Standing" Committees, and Council "Other" Committees. These bodies, in conjunction with the President and the Board, provide the governance for the ACS. The function of a Councilor is to work effectively within this maze of overlapping, democratic bodies in order to provide service for the Division members and for all other ACS members as well. This can only be done by active participation in some one of these governance bodies, either by appointment by the President or by election by fellow Councilors. Thus, Councilors are urged to volunteer for service on appointed committees of the Council, where active participation can be of great benefit to their Division and to the Society. Although each standing Committee of Council is limited to 15 members, in 1975, President Bailey instituted a new procedure of appointing committee associates. Thus, every Councilor now has an opportunity to participate in the detailed consideration of matters being studied for Council action.

The Councilors are also members of the Executive Committee of the Division and thus are expected to attend and to actively participate in the governance of the Division. This should include the execution of any duties assigned by the Division Chair.

Publicity Chair

The Publicity Committee Chair is appointed by the Division Chair for a 3 year term.

Responsibilities

The chief duty of the Publicity Committee Chair (PCC) is to properly publicize the activities of the Division including the Anselme Payen Award and the Division Fellow Award. The PCC is responsible for the Division Directory, The Fibril Angle and or composing four newsletters per calendar year and sending them to all members and affiliates. The responsibilities also include ordering and sending [or having ACS send] abstracts (separates) to all members and affiliates prior to biannual meetings and any other meetings sponsored by the Division; welcoming new Division members and affiliates either in Newsletter or by personal letter; and arranging for meeting rooms for functions other than Executive Committee Meetings at national meetings.

Specific Functions

  1. Anselme Payen Award (APA). The PCC works in cooperation with the Chair-Elect to generate a suitable press release and to set up the media for publicity of the APA announcement. Journals and periodicals are sent copies of the press releases. A current file of appropriate addresses is maintained. The APA award winner is consulted with for information, photographs and other material. Press releases are distributed so that their publication occurs just prior to the award presentation at the Fall Annual ACS Meeting.
  2. Division Fellow Award. The PCC works in cooperation with the Chair-Elect to publicize these awards in a similar manner to the APA.
  3. Ordering of Separates and Reserving Meeting Rooms. You will receive requests (usually with a 60-day deadline prior to the actual meeting) to order abstracts and reserve rooms from the ACS Meetings and Exposition Department. Please coordinate these requests with the Program Chair and Division Chair, respectively.
  4. Newsletters and Separates
    At least 2 Newsletters per year with Separates is the minimum expected; four, as indicated below, is preferred.
    1. First Newsletter and Spring Meeting Abstracts. Should be sent to all members and affiliates at least 30 days prior to the Spring National Meeting. Labels should be ordered 30 days prior to its distribution from ACS on a Division Officer's Job Request Form (easiest to use are pressure-sensitive labels in a geographical zip code sequence; see section C-1).

      Abstracts should be sent with the newsletter. To save funds on postage, you could obtain a bulk-rate mailing permit on domestic mail which requires pre-sorting by zip code and delivering to the Post Office to qualify for this rate. Send foreign members and affiliates their abstracts by surface mail; airmail is quite expensive.
    2. Second Newsletter. Same considerations as the first, except no abstracts are mailed. Send to members and affiliates late May - early June.
    3. Third Newsletter and Fall Meeting Abstracts. Same as 4,a for Spring Meeting.
    4. Fourth Newsletter. When composing the fourth newsletter, recognize and welcome the new officers listed, and distribute mid - late December of the calendar year.
  5. Fibril Angle. The PCC is editor of the Fibril Angle. At least one Fibril Angle per year must be published. Photographs and news items are obtained and the Angle prepared. Mailing labels are obtained from ACS so that each Division member receives a copy of the Angle. Copies are also sent to the National ACS Office.
  6. Division Director. The PCC is responsible for compiling and distributing a directory of all Division members on a biannual basis. Funds are solicited from outside sources so that printing and mailing costs are covered. Each Division member is sent a copy. Members are invited to submit information for incorporation into the Directory. The PCC works with other Executive Committee Members (Secretary, Treasurer, Program Chair, Membership Chair) to provide any assistance in additional publicity matters.
  7. Maintains a file of all PCC activities.

Awards Chair (unedited in 2003)

The Awards Chair is appointed for a term of three years by the Division Chair-Elect (following consultation with the Chair and the Executive Committee). The Awards Chair performs the following functions:

Responsibilities

  1. The Awards Chair is responsible for the awards program of the Division including the Anselme Payen Award, the Division Fellow Award, Recognition of officers completing their terms in Division office and any future awards established by the Division.
  2. The Awards Chair is responsible for all aspects of the Anselme Payen Award and Division Fellow Award process and for the awards banquets given to honor the awardees as outlined in the regulations and procedures section of the Executive Committee Manual.
  3. The Awards Chair, in conjunction with the Division Chair, is responsible for recognition of Division Officers completing their terms in Division Office (see details in Awards section).

The following are links from the old website. Have these forms been reviewed or revised recently?

  • APA Rules and Regulations
  • APA nomination form
  • Division Fellow Rules and Regulations
  • Division Fellow Plaque
  • Outgoing Officer Awards

Membership Chair (unedited in 2003)

Besides participating, improving, and assisting Division general activities at ACS, membership committee takes responsibility for the following tasks:

  1. To enlarge membership of the Division, Committee will provide Divisional information for ACS and non-ACS members who are interested in the chemistry and technology of cellulose, wood, and textile fibers, and encourage them to join Cellulose Division. In addition, committee will make every endeavor to invite non- member speakers at the Division meetings to join Cellulose Division. Divisional information will be sent periodically to universities, institutions and company research centers involving research in cellulose, wood, paper and textiles, for soliciting membership.
  2. To update Divisional brochures and handouts every Spring for recruiting purposes.
  3. To work closely with Publicity Committee to improve dissemination of Divisional and ACS information for membership. This includes the revision and up-date of the Division Membership Directory once every two years.
  4. Discretely inquire into why people have dropped their membership.

Symposia Organizers and Chairs (unedited in 2003)

The CELL Division reserves the right to accept or to turn down and cancel all symposia. The Program Chair carries these responsibilities and is responsible for scheduling symposia.

Symposia topics and format are the responsibility of sponsoring organizers. All symposia will be held at National ACS Meetings, unless the Program Chair has been granted permission to the contrary by CELL Division Executive Committee.

Before publishing symposia, permission shall be obtained from the CELL Division Executive Committee. Organizers or chairmen shall seek permission through the Division Chair or Secretary and Treasurer. All net profits or income from published symposia shall be the property of the CELL Division.

Organizers are responsible for obtaining consent of authors for publication of their presentations and for furnishing written manuscripts.

These guidelines shall apply to organizers of cosponsored joint symposia in which CELL plays an active role by providing organization of one or more sessions. These guidelines are waived for symposia in which CELL Division plays a passive role, listing co-sponsorship only for publicity to members.

Any joint meetings or symposia held away from the site of National ACS meetings shall be organized with a previous definition of financial responsibility between CELL Division and the other party and/or the party controlling the meeting site.

In those cases where action may be required before scheduled meetings of the Executive Committee, at the discretion of the Division Chair or Secretary and Treasurer a simple majority of the Division Officers may be used to grant permission.

The Division normally does not assume financial responsibility for travel expenses, for living expenses or for registration expenses for speakers, authors and session chairmen.

In very special cases, for key speakers, the Program Chair may by previous arrangement with organizers arrange for the Division to underwrite the costs of preregistration to meetings. Such discretionary action by the Program Chair shall not exceed the yearly budget for the Program Committee and shall follow guidelines set up by the Executive Committee.

Organizers are invited to seek support and attendance at CELL Division symposia by non-ACS organizations and their members -- providing attendees follow registration requirements for the given meeting site.

These guidelines are understood accepted by chairmen and organizers of CELL Division symposia unless the Program Chair is notified to the contrary in writing within 30 days of being notified of acceptance of a symposium. Any differences of opinion shall be considered resolved in favor of the Division per guidelines unless written permission to deviate is sent to the organizers by the Program Chair or Executive Committee.

Executive Committee Member-at-Large (draft job description)

Responsibilities

Executive Committee members-at-large (MAL) are elected by the Division membership for 3-year terms. There are three MAL's, and their terms are staggered such that each year one rotates off of the committee, and one new one is elected. The chief duty of the MAL is to participate in the activities of the Executive Committee. The nature of the MAL position is such that MAL's are not assigned specific responsibilities that go with the position. Often MAL's are new to the Executive Committee; they will learn from its activities and deliberations. MAL's often will be assigned to task forces or other projects by the Chair of the Executive Committee.

Meetings

The Executive Committee meets at each ACS National meeting at which the Division programs. Typically the meetings will include a meeting to deal with current business (often on Sunday afternoon), and a separate long range planning meeting (often on Saturday). When the Division does not program at a Fall national ACS meeting, the Executive Committee will generally meet in a single teleconference session called by the Chair on a date of convenience to as many as possible of its members. The Executive Committee will also conduct business by other means of communication, including electronic mail and on occasion voting by electronic mail. It is expected that the MALs will participate actively in the meetings and work of the Executive Committee.

Long-Range Planning - Executive Committee meeting

The Division Chair convenes a Long-Range Planning meeting of the Executive Committee annually. In 2003, this took the form of a facilitated Strategic Planning Workshop at the New Orleans spring national ACS meeting. This meeting is held separately from the Executive Committee business meeting. The purpose of the meeting and any activities that support it include: ensuring the continuing viability and innovativeness of the Division, reviewing future directions of the Division, and enhancing technical contributions. We have in recent years broadened the scope of the Division, as reflected in the name change, significant by-laws changes, broader programming, and many other efforts. This is as a direct result of our Long Range Planning activities. We would welcome any input from our membership at the Long Range Planning meeting, or "off-line" at any other time. We always need good ideas, and equally importantly we need people willing to help turn good ideas into real programs and results. Please contact the Chair to get involved.

Last revised: September 17, 2006