Committee on Divisional Activities (DAC) Publications

Secretariats

• List of Divisions Participating in Secretariats
• Annual Report Forms
• Guidelines for the Formation, Operation, and Dissolution
• BTEC Website
• CATL Website
• MACR Website
• MTLS Website

Secretariat Annual Report Forms

2005 Forms Written (.doc)

back to top

Guidelines for the Formation, Operation, and Dissolution of Secretariats

Adopted by DAC
March 26, 2000
Frank D. Blum, Chair

Definition

A Secretariat is an informal association of ACS Divisions formed to coordinate long-range programming at ACS National Meetings on a topic or group of topics of mutual interest. A Secretariat is dependent on its constituent Divisions for programming support and finances. It does not have individual Members, receive member-based financial allocations from the Society, or participate in Society governance. It does not at any time interfere with or attempt to supplant the interests of any Division of the Society.

Secretariats:

• Promote interdivisional cooperation
• Encourage program coordination
• Allow small Divisions to participate in major programming efforts
• Allow Divisions to better serve member interests through crosscutting programming opportunities
• Facilitate thematic programming efforts
• Respond to emerging areas of interest without creating new divisional structures
• Allow Divisions to better budget their human resources

Formation of a Secretariat

Secretariats have generally developed to facilitate programming in areas of ongoing, high interest within the ACS where normal cosponsorship by two or more Divisions would not provide sufficient breadth of coverage or provide adequate coordination of efforts. When a group of Divisions agrees to form a Secretariat, Articles of Agreement and an Operations Manual are drafted and approved by the constituent Divisions and by the Council Committee on Divisional Activities. These documents and a list of the Divisions and their representatives on the Secretariat must be provided to each Division, the Committee, and the ACS Office of Divisional Activities prior to organizing any programs. Only Secretariats with proper documentation in place may submit programs for National Meetings.

Operation of Secretariats

Leadership. Leadership of a Secretariat is normally vested in a Steering Committee consisting of divisional representatives appointed by the Executive Committee of each constituent Division. The divisional representatives should report regularly to their Division Executive Committees in order to ensure that the Secretariat is serving its function and that its activities are consistent with divisional wishes. It has been found useful for the divisional representatives to be active members of their respective Divisional Program Committees.

The detailed procedures for selection and approval of topics are specified in the Articles of Agreement of the Secretariat. It is customarily agreed that all constituent Divisions need not participate in every programming event, although approval of a proposed topic requires the consent of all constituent Divisions.

The Steering Committee annually selects a Chair (usually called the Secretary-General) and a Secretary/Treasurer for the following year from among the representatives of the constituent Divisions. To assist in leadership continuity, the office of Secretary can be held by the Secretary-General Elect. The method of selecting the leadership positions should be stated in the Articles of Agreement. It has been found useful to rotate the positions among the representatives of the constituent Divisions.

Articles of Agreement. Although Articles of Agreement are in some ways comparable to bylaws, the term 'bylaws' must be avoided as it suggests an official organization within ACS. Articles of Agreement stating the purpose of the Secretariat and providing information about membership, organization, and administration should be prepared and approved by all participating Divisions. These Articles of Agreement should include:

• Objective statements which detail the nature of the Secretariat and its programming mission.
• Procedures for election of a Chairperson, a Secretary/Treasurer, and such other officers as the Secretariat may require.
• A description of the duties and responsibilities of each officer of the Secretariat.
• Procedures for reporting activities of the Secretariat to its member Divisions and for keeping the Secretariat accountable to its member Divisions.
• Procedures for adding new constituent Divisions, for withdrawal of sponsorship by a Division, and for dissolution of the Secretariat.

Operations Manual. An Operations Manual should be prepared and approved by all participating Divisions. The manual need not be lengthy, but should detail:

• Procedures for the approval of symposium topics and for planning, scheduling, and publishing of symposia that will be sponsored by the Secretariat. Secretariats have historically required unanimous consent from each constituent Division for each symposium.
• Procedures for election of officers. These procedures should provide for equitable rotation of leadership among the constituent Divisions, and for continuity in operation of the Secretariat.
• Financial procedures. Secretariats are informal associations of ACS Divisions and are dependent on constituent Divisions for support and finances. Procedures must be developed for Divisions to meet the financial commitments of the Secretariat. The financial procedures should include a procedure for the Secretariat to determine or state how to distribute income from symposia back to member Divisions or participating member Divisions.
• Procedures for accommodating dissension. Since Secretariats are informal associations and are composed of representatives of Divisions who hold autonomous interests, opportunities for dissension exist. These can be minimized or at least less painfully resolved by prior agreement of procedures to be used in handling dissension.

Challenge of a Secretariat Programming Decision by a Division

The primary function and right of Divisions of the Society is to program at national meetings in areas, which serve their respective members. These programming areas may be originally defined by charter but are also protected by historical precedence. Divisions will become aware of Secretariat "themes" at least 2 years in advance of the program through either the Division representatives, if they are a member of the Secretariat, or through other means (such as the Division officer list server or C&EN) if they are not a member. A challenge to the theme is made directly to the Secretariat by divisional representative within 6 months after the theme is presented to the Divisions. DAC will consider unresolved challenges by Divisions and involve both representatives of the Secretariat and the Division(s) in the discussion at the next national meeting following submission of theme. This Committee also has the authority to resolve any conflicts, which cannot be satisfactorily managed by the Divisions.

Dissolution of a Secretariat

As Secretariats are associations formed to meet timely programming needs, they must also be responsive to changing needs. For such reason, at any time, a Secretariat may be disbanded by the majority vote of constituent Divisions. Dissolution procedures should be specified in the Articles of Agreement, with a provision that any programming or financial commitments made by the Secretariat prior to the decision to dissolve must be honored by the participating Divisions.

Reporting Requirements

The Articles of Agreement and Operations Manual for a newly formed Secretariat are to be submitted to the constituent Divisions and the Council Committee on Divisional Activities for concurrence, and copies of the approved Articles and Manual shall be provided to each Division, the Committee, and the ACS Office of Divisional Activities. The Articles and Manual should be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they accurately reflect current activities. After approval of changes by the constituent Divisions and Committee, up-to-date copies should be provided to each Division, the Committee and the Office.

An annual report shall be submitted by the Secretary/Treasurer of the Secretariat to each constituent Division, to the Committee and to the Office no later than February 15 of each year, covering the previous year's activities:

• A list of the member Divisions and their representatives
• A list of the meetings held by the Secretariat and the Divisions represented at each meeting
• A summary of programs organized by the Secretariat, stating the Divisions involved in each session
• A list of programs planned for future meetings, stating the Divisions involved in each planned session and indicating the status (tentative or approved by all member Divisions) · A concise statement of the Secretariat's finances including income and expenditures and current balance, if any.

back to top