BSA Executives Discuss the Future with Arrowmen

During a panel discussion Tuesday at the Kellogg Center, Arrowmen had the chance to ask questions of high-ranking Boy Scout professionals.  Panelists included: Carey Miller, Associate Director of the Order of the Arrow; John Alline, Director of the National Jamboree; George Trosko, Director of the Boy Scout Division; Terry Lawson, Director of Advancement & NESA; and Joe Glascock, Director of Research & Development.

Like the Meet the Man sessions for the National Order of the Arrow Committee, audience members wrote questions on index cards that were then screened by the moderator and posed to the panelist. 

Many of the questions were about upcoming national functions, including the 2007 World Scout Jamboree and the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.  When asked whether the 2010 Jamboree will still be held at Fort A.P. Hill, John Alline replied that it was still too early to tell, but a preliminary location check should be held "within ninety days" of the conclusion of NOAC.

Some of the questions asked include:

If given the power to change one thing in the BSA, what would it be?
Mr. Glascock stated that the main reason boys drop out of Scouting is because they are members of troops that do not go camping often and the boys get stuck in the lower ranks. He would like to see a program to help the new scouts make their way through the early critical ranks to maintain them in the program.

Why do you not carry this merit badge?
"We could have 300 merit badges if we wanted to," said Mr. Lawson, but went on to say that the cost of printing and keeping the pamphlets up-to-date in council offices would be too much for the organization to handle. "We do look at all of the merit badge proposals we receive...It's not just me making the decision, there is a committee that meets to discuss these proposals."

The executives also shared other interesting plans "in the works":

BSA Handbook: Mr. Glascock informed the audience that there will be a new version of the Boy Scout Handbook available in time for the Centennial of our organization. The task force for this edition has been assigned, and the members are asking for the public's help: "We are asking for your opinions...either go to the OA Experience or go to the BSA National Council Website at http://www.scouting.org to fill out a survey and share your opinions." This version of the handbook should be completed by 2009 and be completely rolled out by the centennial.

Uniforms: Mr. Trosko stated that an innovative type of Scout pants are about to be released.  They serve three purposes: they are pants, they are shorts, and they are swimwear. This is still a test item, much like the now-popular BSA activity shirts.