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March 30, 2008

 

Dear Colleague,

With a focus on continuous improvement and producing world class science and accompanying workforce, the Division of Chemistry is in the process of identifying strategic directions for its programs and other activities for 2008-2012.  In February 2007, a Committee of Visitors (COV) reviewed the Division of Chemistry (CHE) and recommended that the Division produce a document to elucidate its strategic directions for the next five years.  A yearlong process has resulted in a draft at https://www.nsf.gov/mps/che/CHE_StrategicDirections.pdf .  The Division seeks your feedback and input to this draft. 

The CHE Strategic Directions project was led by a facilitating group consisting of eight CHE staff, Cynthia Burrows (University of Utah and member of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee (MPS AC), and Susan Hamm (MPS Staff Associate for Budget and Planning).  The Division received community input from the COV report, a Town Hall forum at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston in August 2007 and a website established for community input November-December 2007.  The Division merged the data to form a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats/Barriers) and from it identified eight critical issues.  The critical issues were the focus of the CHE retreat in October 2007, which was facilitated by Michelle Buchanan (Associate Laboratory Director for Physical Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory).  CHE then prepared a draft of the strategic directions document that was discussed with the chemistry representatives of the MPS AC in November 2007. 

You are invited to send your comments and feedback on this document to chemplans@nsf.gov by May 7, 2008.  You are also invited to attend the NSF Chemistry Town Hall forum at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans on April 7, 2008, at 4:30-6:30 pm in Room 243 of the Morial Convention Center.  Part of this forum will be devoted to discussing the CHE Strategic Directions document.

Sincerely,

 

Luis Echegoyen
Director
NSF Division of Chemistry