EIU, Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting pen partnership agreement
Oct-03-2024
PHOTO CAPTION: Back Row: David Lane, Assistant Director of Field Service for Scouting; Jay Grabiec, EIU Instructor, Photographer, and Eagle Scout; EIU President Jay Gatrell; Glen Davis, EIU Instructor & Troop 141 Assistant Scoutmaster & Patrol Advisor; EIU Vice President for Enrollment Management Josh Norman; Council CEO Joe Sadewasser; and Council Senior Redhawk District Executive Noah Olson join active Scouts (front row) to celebrate the unique and first-of-its-kind EIU/Scouting partnership.
(Charleston, IL) – Eastern Illinois University has partnered with the Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting to cultivate professional development and educational opportunities for current and future scouts and scout leaders. Ultimately, the agreement creates efficient onramps for eligible participants to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Charleston, Illinois-based University.
According to more specific language in the agreement, the partnership will benefit scouts, volunteers, and employees of the Scouting organization by creating direct pathways for enrollment in EIU programs, ensuring Scouting-student success on campus that leads to a degree. According to data collected by the Council, Scouts are twice as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree in comparison to their peers. Those Scouts who earn bachelor’s degrees are then twice as likely to complete a master’s degree when compared to the national average.
Scouting will work to identify prospective students who would be a good fit for EIU and who meet the University’s admissions requirements. EIU, likewise, will leverage the relationship to promote its programs to Scout affiliates and recruit students who are interested in receiving a quality EIU education. EIU will achieve this by sending admissions representatives to predetermined Scouting events, offering personalized visit days to Scouts and Scouting families, and assigning dedicated admissions and financial aid representatives to prospective Scouting-affiliated students to simplify the admissions process.
To ensure the likelihood of Scout-to-student success on campus, EIU will work closely with enrolled Scouts and Scouting staff to monitor participants’ academic progress. That support includes proactive intermediation should any students in the program require additional academic or social supports.
Value-added components of the agreement include positioning EIU’s Career Services Department as a talent acquisition hub for Scouting-affiliated students at EIU who wish to pursue internships or careers within the broader Scouting organization, and up to $4,000 in annual renewable scholarships for four years for GPA-eligible student participants. The agreement also creates opportunities for both organizations to provide access to their respective facilities in support of the goals of the partnership.
The inaugural agreement was signed September 5th by council and EIU leaders and will remain active for three years.
The Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting, a United Way agency, provides youth with character development programs and values-based leadership training. The Council, one of the largest in the nation, has more than 25,000 youth members and nearly 10,000 adult volunteers from 63 counties in southeast Missouri, southern and central Illinois, and the St. Louis Metropolitan area. For more information, call (314) 361-0600.
Students attending EIU from outside Illinois quadrupled between 2009 and 2019, and out-of-state numbers continue to grow as an increasingly smaller, more globalized world opens opportunities for prospective students across the Midwest and throughout the world.
EIU prepares students to accomplish their life goals through a combination of quality academics, personal relationships, and both on-campus and online learning opportunities. For more information about Eastern Illinois University, including its broad array of academic and career readiness programs, or any of EIU’s other community-based services and opportunities, visit eiu.edu or call EIU’s public information office at (217) 581-7400.
EIU: eiu.edu
Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting: stlbsa.org
