The Eagle Process. Durham Scout Center W. Maple Road, Omaha, NE P: BSA (9272) F:

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1 The Eagle Process The Mid America Council has implemented a format to be followed by all Eagle candidates to help with their Eagle application process. There have been numerous occasions in the past when the Scout to Unit to District to Council routing has not been followed and we have experienced many problems. By keeping all levels in the loop, most problems and errors can be avoided. The rank of Eagle is not to be taken lightly and all requirements must be met and approved before National approves the application. With the Scout, the Unit, the District and the Council all working together; all Eagle paperwork and applications can be processed accurately and in a timely manner, which will expedite the process. A. The process will start when the Scout gets his Eagle packet from his Unit. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS AND ALL ATTACHMENTS BEFORE PROCEEDING. B. For project approval and final application, the process begins with the Scout. All materials will go from Scout to Unit to District to Council and the reverse for returning material from Council to District to Unit to Scout. C. EAGLE APPLICATIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED AT THE MAC DURHAM SCOUT CENTER OR THE SIOUX CITY SCOUT OFFICE WHEN SUBMITTED BY THE DISTRICT ANDVANCEMENT CHAIRMAN OR DISTRICT EAGLE COMMITTEE. D. An Eagle application must be accurate and 100% complete to be processed and by using this system, all of the proper checks should be made and the application can be processed quickly and effectively. This process will also help to catch errors or omissions at the unit and district levels where they can be handled in a timely manner. To achieve this it is recommended that the scout contact Scouter Services at either the Durham Scout Center or the Sioux City Office and request an individual advancement history before they turn their application in. the Scout should then compare the dates the council has on file with the dates the scout is using. If there is a discrepancy the scout should have his unit leader fill out and turn in an unit advancement form with the correct dates. E. The rank of Eagle is a very great honor and an extensive process. The candidate has learned leadership, organization and planning to name just a few. The processing of his application is merely another step toward becoming an Eagle Scout and by following this format he will see that planning, accuracy, and follow through will bring his trail to Eagle to closure. F. The above is the procedure for processing the Eagle materials and application, The 12 Steps from Life to Eagle will provide instructions as set by National (Supplement Sheets).

2 G. See the Eagle Scout Board of Review and Court of Honor supplement sheets for Mid America Council recommendations. If you have any questions, contact your District Advancement Chairman. The 12 Steps from Life to Eagle 1. In order to advance to the rank of Eagle, a candidate must complete all requirements of tenure, Scout spirit; merit badges; positions of responsibility; while a Life Scout, plan, develop, and provide leadership to others in a service project; and the Scoutmaster conference. 2. Using the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, the candidate must select his Eagle service project and have the project concept approved by his unit leader, his unit committee, and the benefactor of the project, and reviewed and approved by the District Eagle Advancement Committee. The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook must be used in meeting this requirement. 3. It is imperative that all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank except the board of review be completed prior to the candidates 18th birthday. When all requirements except the board of review for the rank of Eagle, including the service project, have been completed, an Eagle Scout Rank Application must be filled out and sent to the district Eagle advancement chair who will forward the application to the council service center promptly (Scout to Unit to District to Council). 4. The application should be signed by the unit leader at the proper place. The unit committee reviews and approves the record of the Eagle candidate before the application is submitted to the local council, if a unit leader or unit committee fails to sign or otherwise approve an application, the Eagle candidate may still be granted a board of review. The failure of a unit leader or unit committee to sign an application may be considered by the board of review in determining the qualification of the Eagle candidate. 5. When the completed application is received at the MAC Durham Scout Center or the Sioux City Scout Office, its contents will be verified and the references may be contacted. The Eagle Candidate should send each of the references a letter of recommendation to be filled out and returned to the Unit Advancement Committee. This should include a return envelope, addressed to the Unit Advancement Committee with the reference listed as the return address and the scout s name (somewhere on the envelope). This allows the Unit Advancement Committee to know which references have responded, as well as which scout the reference letters are for.

3 6. The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, properly filled out, should be kept by the scout and must be submitted to the board at his Eagle board of review. 7. After the contents of an application have been verified and appropriately signed, the application will be returned from the MAC Durham Scout Center or the Sioux City Scout Office to the District Eagle Advancement Chair so that a board of review may be scheduled. The District Eagle Advancement Committee should contact the Unit Advancement Committee to have the Board of Review scheduled. Under no circumstances should a board of review be scheduled until the application is returned to the District Eagle Advancement Chair. 8. The board of review for an Eagle candidate is composed of at least three but not more than six members. One member serves as chairman. Unit leaders, assistant unit leaders, relatives, or guardians may not serve as members of a Scout s board of review. The board of review members should convene at least 30 minutes before the candidate appears in order to review the application, references, and service project report. At least one district or council advancement representative must be a member of the Eagle board of review if the board of review is conducted on a unit level. A council or district may designate more than one person to serve as a member of Eagle boards of review when requested to do so by the unit. It is not required that these persons be members of the advancement committee; however, they must have an understanding of the importance of the Eagle board of review. 9. The candidate s unit leader introduces him to the members of the board of review. The unit leader may remain in the room, but does not participate in the board of review. The unit leader may be called on to clarify a point in question. In no case should a relative or guardian of the candidate attend the review, even as a unit leader. There is no set of questions that an Eagle candidate should be asked. However, the board should be assured of the candidate s participation in the program. This is the highest award that a boy may achieve and, consequently, a thorough discussion of his successes and experiences in Scouting should be considered. After the review, the candidate and his unit leader leave the room while the board members discuss the acceptability of the candidate as an Eagle Scout. The decision must be unanimous. If the candidate meets the requirements, he is asked to return and is informed that he will receive the board s recommendation for the Eagle Scout rank. If the candidate does not meet the requirements, he is asked to return and told the reasons for his failure to qualify. A discussion should be held with him as to how he may meet the requirements within a given period. Should the applicant disagree with the decision, the appeal procedures should be explained to him. A follow up letter must be sent to the Scout confirming the agreements reached on the action(s) necessary for the advancement. If the Scout chooses to appeal, provide the name and address of the person he is to contact. 10. Immediately after the board of review and after the application has been appropriately signed, the application is returned to the MAC Durham Scout Center or the Sioux City Scout Office by the District Eagle Advancement Chair. The scout retains his service project report and the

4 references are kept by the district representative until the Eagle award is returned approved from National. Following National approval for Eagle, the references are to be destroyed. References are confidential, and their contents are not to be disclosed to any person who is not a member of the board of review. 11. When the application arrives at the MAC Durham Scout Center or the Sioux City Scout Office, the MAC Scout Executive signs it to certify that the proper procedure has been followed and that the board of review has recommended the candidate for the Eagle Scout rank. 12. The National Eagle Scout Service screens the application to ascertain information such as proper signature, positions of responsibility, tenure between ranks, and age of the candidate. Any item not meeting national standards will cause the application to be returned for more information. If the application is in order, the Scout is then certified as an Eagle Scout by the National Eagle Scout Service on behalf of the National Council. Notice of approval is given by sending the Eagle Scout certificate to the MAC Durham Scout Center. The date used on the certificate will be the date of the board of review. The Eagle Award must not be sold or given to any unit until after the certificate is received by the MAC Durham Scout Center. The Eagle Scout court of honor should not be scheduled until the unit receives the Eagle Scout rank credentials. Eagle Scout Award Verification Computer verification of all Eagle applications will require that all dates, including the month, day, year, merit badges, Troop/Unit number(s) and references are completed. This means that all dates must be correct. All address information must be filled in (standard postal abbreviations are acceptable). References must be filled in. This means that the Scout must provide a reference name for the parents or guardians, (both parents or guardians need to be on the Eagle Applications in order for their names to appear in the newspaper) a religious reference (Priest, Minister, Sunday School Teacher), an educational reference (teacher from school), and two (2) other references that can be anyone the Scout wishes. The only optional reference is the employer. If the Scout is employed, one should be provided. If not, leave the line blank. Make sure that all the rank advancement dates are correct. The unit the Scout earned the merit badges in must also be correct, especially if the Scout has been in multiple units. All dates must match what the council has on file from the advancement sheets that were turned in. This is what is used for verification. Make sure that the position of leadership has been completed and the from and to dates filled in. If the Scout began serving in the position prior to become a Life Scout, use his Life Scout Board of Review date for the beginning date. Use the current date, as of the Eagle application for the to date. DO NOT use the word present or current for this date. It will not be accepted. List only leadership

5 positions held after becoming a Life Scout. Any positions listed before the Life Scout Board of Review Date will be discarded. Make sure that the spelling and name is the full legal name to be printed on the Eagle certificate and award. Do not use nicknames or abbreviations. No initials, the scout must list his full name. Make sure the application is legible. It should be typed or printed carefully if the application is not legible it will be returned. This will also be used for the notification that will appear in your local newspaper. The Unit must check all Advancements, Merit Badges and Dates prior to submittal to the District. This will serve to expedite the processing by catching and correcting any errors at the unit level. This is best done by contacting Scouter Services and requesting an individual advancement report to check the dates on file at the council. For newspaper recognition, the name or names of the parent, parents or guardians will be listed as they appear on the Parents/guardians line under Requirement #2 on the Eagle Scout Rank Application. Downloaded Eagle Scout Rank Application forms will be accepted, all signatures must be filled in and dated SIGNATURES MUST BE ORIGINAL. If a signature is missing the application will be returned unprocessed. NO COPIES WILL BE ACCEPTED. Eagle Project Workbook Eagle Scout Application pdf Eagle Scout Board of Review Purpose: The Eagle Scout Board of Review is an opportunity to review the prospective Eagle Scout s attitudes and accomplishments and to verify his acceptance of Scouting s ideals. The Board of Review provides quality control of advancement within the unit and it provides an opportunity for the Scout to develop and practice those skills needed in an interview situation. The Board of Review is not a re test; the Scout has already been tested on the skills and activities required for Eagle. Location: The location for an Eagle Scout Board of Review should be a facility appropriate for such an occasion. This should be an event that the applicant will remember for his entire life. Suggestions include corporate board rooms or conference rooms, meeting rooms, community school, community church, charter partner locations or other appropriate locations.

6 Board Members: The Eagle Board of Review consists of at least three but no more than six members drawn from Scouting and the community. The members must be 21 years of age or older. They must have an understanding of the importance and purpose of the Eagle Board of Review but they do not have to be registered in Scouting. For example, a MAC Board Member, a representative from a chartering organization, an adult Eagle Scout, a business leader, community leader or a religious leader may be asked to participate in an Eagle Board of Review. A minimum of one member of the District Advancement Committee must be a member of the Board (the District Representative should not be a member of the Scout s unit). No relative or guardian of the candidate may attend the review, either as a participant or observer. A suggested board makeup two members from the community, one member from the District Advancement Committee, one member from the MAC Board and two members from the Troop (The Candidate s unit leader may remain in the room but does not participate in the board of review). Goal: Provide a Board of Review conducted by board members of distinction with Scouting knowledge in a formal setting to verify that the candidate meets the standards to become an Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout Court of Honor Recommendations The fact that a boy is an Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance, not only in Scouting but also as he enters higher education, business or industry, and community service. The award is a performance based achievement whose standards have been well maintained over the years. Not every boy who joins a Boy Scout troop earns the Eagle Scout rank only about 4 percent of all Boy Scouts do so. To celebrate achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, it is customary for the Scout s family or Unit to hold an Eagle Scout Court of Honor. This Court of Honor is to be organized and designed by the Scout s family and or Unit. It can be held in a variety of locations and with a variety of formats. Mid America Council offers the following suggestions for your use. Timing: The Eagle Scout Court of Honor may not be conducted until the action of the board of review has been approved by the National Eagle Scout Service. Procedures:

7 Procedures for conducting Eagle Scout courts of honor are described in Woods Wisdom: Troop Program Features. Information can also be found on the World Wide Web. Location: School Auditorium Church Social Hall Invitation List: Charter Partner Location Family and Friends Unit Scouts, Leaders, Parents. Church Leaders Charter Partners School Teachers and Leaders Employer Chief of Police House of Representatives US Senators State Governor White House Mayor Mid America Council Scout Executive, District Executive, District Chairman, District Advancement Committee, District Commissioners, Eagle Board of Review Members, Unit Commissioner and Community Board Members. (Indicate reply time frame) Make the Eagle Scout Court of Honor one to remember He has earned it.