American Chemical Society Historical Background of the ACS Approval Program Anne B. McCoy Department of Chemistry The Ohio State University Columbus, OH BCCE Symposium on The Evolution of the ACS Approval Process: Moving beyond the 2008 Guidelines July 31, 2012

What is CPT? American Chemical Society 2 Founded in 1936 Brief history of the origins: In 1935 – the ACS Council established a “Committee for Accrediting Educational Institutions” with Thomas Midgley, Jr. as the Chairman Mandate: “The responsibility for properly accrediting institutions is wholly within the province of the permanent committee and it is hereby granted authority commensurate with this responsibility.”

What is CPT? American Chemical Society 3 Brief history of the origins: CPT Became a standing committee of the ACS in 1936 Initial tasks included: Establish "minimum standards of eligibility", institutions to apply for approved status. Survey of current practices sent to 750 universities and colleges, 450 replies received and analyzed. Data included staff, training, teaching loads, research activity, educational practices, procedures, etc. Classified and tabulated to provide comprehensive picture about "professional training of chemists at the collegiate level".

What is CPT? American Chemical Society 4 Now… Our goals: Promoting and assisting in the development of high standards of excellence in all aspects of post-secondary education, and undertaking studies important to their maintenance. Collecting and making available information concerning trends and developments in modern chemical education. Cooperating with the American Chemical Society and other professional and educational groups having mutual interests and concerns.

The process: By 1940, there were 65 approved programs. Today there are 667! American Chemical Society 5

Approved program by institution type: research universities depend critically on the baccalaureate degree recipients of smaller programs to staff their graduate programs some level of uniformity in programs and standards of excellence is beneficial to the profession

Who is involved in CPT American Chemical Society 7

What do we do? Establish and administer the approval program –The ACS through CPT approves chemistry programs Conduct surveys to understand current trends in areas related to the professional education of chemists Other activities relating to the professional training of chemists –ACS Directory of Graduate Research –Coordinating efforts to establish workshops American Chemical Society 8

The approval program Conduct and enhance an approval procedure for bachelor’s degree programs in chemistry. CPT approves degree programs according to the 2008 guidelines. Currently 667 programs are approved. Individual departments then certify students who meet the approved program curricula.

Committee on Professional Training Program Approval Institutional Involvement Faculty and Staff Adjunct, temporary and part-time Teaching contact hours Support staff Infrastructure Instrumentation Computational capability Chemical information resources Chemical safety resources Curriculum Undergraduate research Development of student skills Self-assessment

The Chemistry Profession is Changing The 2008 guidelines presented a large departure from earlier versions in recognition of the evolution of the profession.

Coursework Required for Certification under 2008 guidelines

Flexibility for Department-Defined Degree Tracks in 2008 guidelines:

Added emphasis on Student Skills:

The process: Currently schools begin the process with a preapplication which is acted upon within 2 months Next they fill out a self-study which is evaluated by the committee and discussed with representatives from the department A site visitor is selected by CPT and goes to the institution at the invitation of the President to obtain a local view of the department Decisions for approval are made based on all of the gathered information Once approved, departments submit short annual reports and longer reports every five years. The five year reports are brought to the full committee and provide the basis for continuing approval of a program American Chemical Society 15 One of the goals of the 2008 guidelines was to streamline the application process and feedback to departments following receipt of the periodic reports

Looking forward The committee typically revises the Guidelines every four to six years in order to keep up with evolving trends in chemistry education and changes in the educational needs of professional chemists We have begun the process of revising the 2008 guidelines, with an anticipated publication date for the revised guidelines in spring 2014 To initiate the process we solicited feedback through a Comment Column, published in C&E News in January 2012 In June, we held a retreat during which we developed the goals for the revision We will be continuing to solicit feedback through symposia (like today’s), open meetings. Additional information will be published in the semi-annual CPT Newsletter. American Chemical Society 16

Goals of the revision To engage in a “self-evaluation” of how the 2008 guidelines are working given the size of the departure in requirements and practices compared to earlier editions of the Guidelines To clarify issues that came up in the periodic reports To look at how changes in technology affect the delivery of chemistry curricula and how these changes should be reflected in the Guidelines To evaluate what a experiences chemistry major needs to have in preparation to join the workforce and evaluate how these should be reflected in the Guidelines American Chemical Society 17 An important part of this process is community input…

The remainder of today’s symposium The evolving landscape of chemistry education. Richard Schwenz (University of Northern Colorado) 9:55 Small Group Discussion (10:15-10:35) The role of undergraduate research in the certified chemistry major Thomas Wenzel (Bates College) 10:35am Break 10:55-11:10 The increasingly multidisciplinary nature of chemistry. Joseph Francisco (Purdue University) 11:10am Challenges in preparing professional chemists: Imparting and assessing student skills Joel Shulman (University of Cincinnati) 11:30am Small Group Discussion (11:50-12:10) Panel Discussion (12:10-12:30) American Chemical Society 18