The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) is a global organization that consists of four operations/brands:
- ACerS – the professional society that serves the scientific and technological needs of the global ceramic and glass community
- ACerS International – the professional society that serves the scientific and technological needs of the global ceramic and glass community outside of the United States
- Ceramic Arts Network (CAN) – a media operation that serves the ceramic arts community
- Ceramic & Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF) – a nonprofit foundation that attracts, inspires and supports the next generation of ceramic and glass professionals.
As indicated in the attached chart, these four brands comprise The American Ceramic Society.
We are not changing the name of the Society, nor our logo. We remain The American Ceramic Society (ACerS for short).
The ACerS International brand extension is a subset of The American Ceramic Society that allows us to better serve the global community.
The ACerS International brand extension reflects that we are a multinational society. It reflects who we already are and the 35% of our membership that lives outside of the United States.
This logo will be used to define international activities and collaborations, as well as our international Chapters.
“The American Ceramic Society” is the official name for the organization and its four brands. The new “ACerS International” brand refers to activities focused on serving the global ceramics and glass science and technical community. “ACerS International” acknowledges and recognizes that more than 35% of ACerS professional and student members, along with 14 ACerS International Chapters, some Meetings, and Global Partnerships are located outside of the United States.
We do understand that there will be questions surrounding ACerS International, and have an FAQ dedicated to help ensure our message in this brand extension is clear (see below).
If you’d like to use the ACerS International logo and you are not an approved ACerS Chapter, conference, or activity, please reach out for approval to ACerS Marketing Manager Kameron Haines (khaines@ceramics.org) with your request and a short description of where and why you’d like to use the logo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why are you changing the name of the Society?
A: We are not changing the name of The American Ceramic Society (ACerS for short), nor its logo. ACerS International is a brand extension just like the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation and the Ceramic Arts Network.
Q: Why minimize the “American” part of your name. Why do away with tradition?
A: We aren’t. Tradition is very important to us, which is why the Society remains The American Ceramic Society. However, ACerS is and has been a global organization for many years. This brand extension acknowledges and recognizes that more than 35 percent of our members reside outside of the United States.
Q: Society XYZ already tried this “name change” thing and it didn’t work. Why are you doing it?
A: We cannot speak for other societies and their business decisions. However, it’s important to note that we are not changing our name. We remain The American Ceramic Society. This is a brand extension that aims to be more inclusive to the 38 percent of our members that reside outside of the United States.
Q: Who can use the ACerS International logo?
A: As we begin using “ACerS international” in 2023, initial use will be for ACerS International Chapters and international conferences, as well as any community currently listed under ACerS International in the graphic above. The logo can be downloaded from our website and and utilized to promote these activities. If you have any use case questions, please reach out to ACerS Marketing Manager Kameron Haines (khaines@ceramics.org).
Q: Is it still appropriate to use the name The American Ceramic Society and the ACerS logo?
A: Yes. ACerS International is a brand of The American Ceramic Society. It is always appropriate to use the ACerS name and logo.
Q: My ACerS member use case is not listed above. Can I just use the logo?
A: If you’d like to use the ACerS International logo and you are not an approved ACerS Chapter, conference, or activity, please reach out for approval to ACerS Marketing Manager Kameron Haines (khaines@ceramics.org) with your request and a short description of where and why you’d like to use the logo.
Q: What about The Journal of the American Ceramic Society (JACerS) or The American Ceramic Society Bulletin. Will you change their names?
A: No. This brand extension does not include any of the ACerS publications, including the four American Ceramic Society journals and the Bulletin, nor their scopes.
Q: If I’m a Fellow of The American Ceramic Society, am I now a Fellow of ACerS International?
A: No. You are a Fellow of The American Ceramic Society.
Q: Why don’t you use this branding on Division meetings like ICACC? Don’t our Division meetings have a strong international component?
A: This branding can be used by our Divisions, as well as any of the communities listed under “ACerS International” in the graphic above.
Q: What is the ultimate goal of this program?
A: We want to create a way for our members outside of the United States to feel represented and included in the activities of and programs of the Society. This brand extension will inclusively highlight conferences, activities, and our Chapters that are located outside of the U.S. We also want other partner organizations and potential partner organizations to better understand that ACerS is a global organization with members located throughout the world.
Q: ACerS currently has relationships and partnerships with other global societies and/or organizations (such as ICG). How does this announcement change these partnerships?
A: The short answer is that it doesn’t change anything in regard to the partnership. What is changing is how we refer to our International Chapters. What will continue to be the case is that ACerS International Chapters will collaborate on events with local NPOs of ICG, plus national ceramic and glass societies/organizations as collaboration is an important principle for our International Chapters.