Notes from the 2007 BSA National Meeting
I attended this year’s BSA National Meeting in Atlanta. I make most years. They are a great source for ideas on how to better run councils and deliver a better program but also it is a chance to connect with many fellow collectors who are also leaders in the movement. The following are my notes, in no particular order, from the conference. It was nice that BSA got away from Memorial Day weekend but they’re going back to it next year in San Diego. Dumb.
At the National Annual Recognition dinner, the National President gives an update on Scouting in the US. After he started, I realized that rather than ‘report on it’, I could broadcast it for others to hear directly from President Rick Cronk. President Cronk reported that with the May council reports the BSA is reporting nataional year-over-year growth in membership. Here’s President Cronk in our video cast.
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Amongst items reported at the meeting, there are over 1,000,000 living Eagle Scouts. That’s great for Scouting but even better for the USA. The leadership capability of this country is much better due to Scouting, regardless of the rank achieved. Its been reported, although harder to confirm, that there are over 100,000,000 Scouting alumni (not must members as youth but including those who were only involved as adults).
Two of our own were awarded the Silver Buffalo – Tico Perez shown here with his wife Donna 
and Dr. Hal Yocum shown here with former Scout Executive Ron Boller (Hal’s on the right).
A nice feature as part of the presentations was a video interview of each recipient. Tico related how he got into Scouting that gave the audience a good chuckle. Ask him about it.
Also, David Roberts of Southern Region received the Silver Antelope this year.
on July 11th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Thanks for the nice acknowledment in your ‘newsletter’-too kind! With your influence my next ‘best idea’ wilbe that the Associate National directors in the various departments at national do not need to be former [most times rescued] Scout Executives. Though having former SE as Directors is very important from a creditabilty viewpoint the support staff could be where entry level executives begin their careers. I did not fully appreciate the resorces available nor would my SE/FD bosses allow me to call the National Office everytime I had a question until I became a DFS then a SE. Just consider the program knowledge gain if a DE spent his first 6 months in a support [think camp CIT] role before hitting the field. Also think of the salary savings versus the cost of rescuing a SE out of the field into the National payroll. Just a thought!
on July 17th, 2007 at 10:49 am
Ron – I agree, at least certainly with the general sentiment, that we may have our organizational pyramid upside down. That is, we, the Scouting movement may be better served by having at the top (assuming top as most important) being first the youth in the program, then their leaders and parents, then the unit serving execs, then the DFS, then the SE, then the Regional and National Staff, and finally the CSE and National Board.
I think there is some value for having temporary assignments for Scouting professionals when we make a mis-placement but these should have a max duration of 6 months. Many of the National Office staff positions do not require the skills of a former Scout Executive nor are justified in the cost of a former Scout Executive. We have to become more cost effective. There just aren’t enough community resources these days for all of the needs. Resources that go to mis-compensated positions (that is, paying more for the position than the position requires) is not supportable. This is true at the local council level as well as at the regional and national levels.