In response to the changing world and requests from ACS members, the ACS has prepared an entirely new membership structure. Starting in January 2022, there will be three different membership packages to choose from: Premium, Standard and Basic. You will be asked in the coming days or weeks to select from three choices for your 2022 membership. These choices are summarized below and outlined in the figure.
The Premium option is similar to what you have now, including discounts to ACS meetings, 50 free downloads from ACS journals, C&E News, and 25 free SciFinder activities. The cost to you has been reduced to $160 for regular members, $80 for retired members, $55 for graduate students and $25 for undergraduate students. This represents a substantial savings over previous years.
Standard membership is a reduced cost option that still provides many of the benefits. This package is ideal if you want to remain active in the Society but do not attend many events or need wider access to ACS Publications. As part of this package, you will still be able to tap into many ACS popular benefits. This package is only available to existing members or prospective members that have a degree, certification, or significant work history in the chemical or related STEM sciences, or with a certification as a teacher of a chemical science. The annual cost of the Standard membership is $80 for all.
The Basic membership is free. It is designed to allow people to join the community and connect further with chemists. Anyone with an interest in chemistry or the allied sciences is invited to join the ACS community. The Basic Package is a great way to introduce yourself to ACS and its community, and to stay connected to their diverse network of professionals and knowledgeable insights.
Impact on the Local Section: Premium and Standard members retain the opportunity to join the local section and take on active roles in local leadership such as serving on Executive Committees and in other officer roles. If you choose the Basic package, we hope you join us for all the local events, but you will be unable to vote or run for an officer position, unless you upgrade your membership. If you select the Premium or Standard membership option, please also choose to contribute to local section dues because they help support the programs that we run in the community.
You can find more information at https://www.acs.org/newchoices
This is an exciting innovative approach to refreshing ACS membership and should help the ACS as a whole to transition into the coming years and fulfill the needs of their members.
Submitted by Natalie McClure
