Well everyone – my final month as Chair of the Rochester Section is here. It is amazing how fast the time goes. You can rest assured that I loved every minute of it!
But things do get pretty hectic during the year, and looking back at the past 12 months, it is breathtaking what we have done in the Rochester Section. Like 2006, 2007 took another step towards refocusing the Section from an industrial core to an academic one. A lot was done with the University of Rochester in 2006 when Ben Miller was Chair. In 2007, RIT, and especially NTID, was brought in as a strong contributor to the Section. I am sure that 2008 will continue this trend under the leadership of Rich Hartmann from Nazareth College.
In 2006, I was required to set goals in the Section’s 2006 annual report. Let me lay out those goals to you and describe how we did in 2007.
“Plans for 2007 are heavily based on an excellent survey and a Strategic Planning Workshop conducted in 2006. From these efforts, the Chair for 2007 has come forth with the following plans for 2007:
1. Improved communications. We plan to do this through:
- A new totally electronic newsletter that will be sent monthly.
(Accomplished. The new electronic newsletter “The Chemunicator” now allows us to offer more up-to-date information to be distributed to membership.) - A hard copy letter from the Chair to each member to begin the year laying out the planned activities for the year and directing them to the website for updates.
(Accomplished. To date, 46 “New Member” letters have gone out with the information described in our goal, along with a 10% discount for any one event of their choice as an incentive to get new people involved.)* A mid-year postcard mailing leading towards the 2nd half of the year (Accomplished. This post card with updated information for happenings within the Section went out right after the first of the new year) - A fully updated and improved website for members to use and rely on as being up-to-date.
(Accomplished. Jim Reynolds did an excellent job in bringing our website up-to-date, creating a more exciting look and making it more user friendly as well as informational.) - I will add here that 60 “New Member” letters were sent out by me as Chair, welcoming these members to the Rochester Section and inviting them to “get involved". A calendar of events accompanied these letters, as did an invitation to enjoy 10% off an event of their choice.
- Total communications with all Committee and activity Chairs, reports to the Executive Committee from the leaders of these efforts and articles in the monthly newsletter from the leaders of these activities as to what they are doing and where they need help. (Accomplished. We have worked harder on communications between the Executive Committee, the Chair and activity leaders in 2007. There were some wonderful volunteers out there that were working hard, with little to no contact by the Section. From these new communication efforts, we were able to better support such programs as the High School Chemistry Olympiad, Adopt-a-School, National Chemistry Week and others.)
- The movement to Executive Committee meetings only every-other month. These meetings will now be working sessions, not reporting sessions.
(Accomplished. For the first time, we were able to make a more effective use of our volunteers’ time by having Executive Committee meetings every-other month, and then making sure those meetings were used for key decisions and hands-on efforts rather than reporting sessions. Reports were, instead, sent out electronically.) - Reports will be asked for monthly and sent out as updates.
(Accomplished. Although we only met every-other month, we did not stop the communications nor the awareness of what was happening within the Section because we still asked for reports to be sent electronically on a monthly basis.) - Important votes and discussions will be ongoing without the constraints of waiting for a meeting to make a decision.
(Accomplished. It never made sense to wait for a formal meeting to take a vote on an important matter. It especially did not make sense doing this when the meetings moved to every-other month. Thus, key votes were done electronically for quick decisions and action.) - We will also begin using a timeline to keep us on track of all events and action items throughout the year.
(Accomplished. The format of a timeline was used successfully and was well received when we organized NERM 2004. The same concept was used successfully this year to keep the leadership of the Section on top of when key deadlines were near and when events were taking place.)
- The plan to have two joint events with "neighboring" Local Sections, one in May with the Western New York Section and one in June with the Corning Section.
(Accomplished. Two exciting new events were held in cooperation with our neighboring Sections. In May, we had the lunch and tour of the Niagara Falls Power Authority with members of the Western New York (Buffalo) Section and, in June, the exciting day at the Corning museum of Glass and the receptions with members of the Corning Sections. These were great new opportunities to members from a variety of Sections, long talked about but done in 2007.) - We also plan to begin offering "Chemistry & Coffee" chats on topical issues.
(Accomplished. With a grant from ACS, we held four (4) successful “Science Cafés” throughout the year. The four subjects covered included All About IP, The Art & Chemistry of Meissen Blue Porcelain, The Chemical Influence of Making Mountains and Mid-Career Transitions.) - These efforts are on top of some very successful efforts such as the "Monthly Mixers".
(Accomplished. Due in no small part to the wonderful organization efforts by Henry Gysling, the “Monthly Mixers” continued to be a big hit in 2007 as it was when they began in 2006.)
- We plan to layout areas where people can spend a little or a lot of time in helping out. Often, that is one of the best-kept secrets and people are often eager to at least offer a little help.
(Accomplished. In 2007, we offered more specifics when asking a person to take on a volunteer effort and updated the “Section Handbook” to insure that all key roles are well described. As well, a full description of duties was disclosed in the “Call for Nominations” for the 2007 elections. We also sent out a specific “Talent Search” asking people to let us know what they like to do or what they are good at so we can connect them to a volunteer effort that would match their interest areas.) - We also plan to have an increase in cost for all activities for non-Members so that Members see that there is, in fact, some value in belonging to the ACS.
(Accomplished. Beginning in 2007, all major events had two prices – one for members and a higher price fro non-members.)
- To have a recognition event in early December to thank the Members of the Executive Committee, Committee and Activity Chairs, etc. at a local brewery with food, drinks, and certificates of appreciation.
(Accomplished. Scheduled for December 10th is a volunteer reception at Rohrbach’s Brewing Company for those who gave of their time and talent to the Section in 2007 in Section, Committee or activity leadership roles. Early in 2007, at the Annual Dinner, we also brought back many Past Chairs of the Section to give them their long overdue “Past Chair” pins to bring us up-to-date in that area of recognition.)
In February of this year, we were honored to have ACS President Katie Hunt in town to meet with Kodak Management, to visit with the students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT and to address our Annual Dinner. She came to town with a message of her year as President – “We have ignition – We have Liftoff”. I now hope, that in these last 12 months, you have felt a new ignition of spirit and the liftoff of a new vision for our Rochester Section.
And as 2007 speeds towards a close, please take the time now to consider how you can help out our next Chair, Richard Hartmann in 2008 and join us during this continuing journey of transformation – as we look towards our 100th anniversary in 2012! My thanks to all of you for making this such a successful year for the Rochester Section as I send each of you the most heartfelt of holiday greetings!
D. Richard Cobb
2007 Chair
Rochester Section, ACS
Email = d.richard.cobb@kodak.com
Phone = 477-4903
