Waynesburg University’s support of Scouting should be a model for other colleges

Waynesburg-3Scouting doesn’t have to end after high school.

That’s especially true for students at Waynesburg University, a private institution located about an hour south of Pittsburgh.

Few colleges or universities support Scouting the way Waynesburg does. At this rural campus in the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, the BSA connections are all around you.

The president is an Eagle Scout. The provost sits on two national BSA committees. There’s a university Venturing crew. The school hosts merit badge universities, pinewood derbies, resident camps and alumni association meetings.

Plus, there’s a Scout scholarship given to all Eagle Scouts and recipients of the Venturing Summit Award or Girl Scout Gold Award.

It doesn’t end there. Jacquelyn Core, Waynesburg provost and my former Wood Badge troop guide, shared with me some more fascinating facts about the school. I’ve compiled them below.

Hearing about Waynesburg, I couldn’t help but wonder how we can encourage other places of higher education to support Scouting so fervently. Any ideas? 

10 ways Waynesburg University supports Scouting

Waynesburg University …

  1. … sends faculty, staff and students to Wood Badge training — at least seven Scouters in each of the past two years.
  2. … supports a Venturing crew, which has taken four trips to high-adventure bases in the past two years. The crew completes service projects on campus and in the community.
  3. … holds merit badge universities that enroll 300 Scouts. University faculty, many with doctorates, teach the classes.
  4. … hosts the Laurel Highlands Council’s University of Scouting training event for adult leaders.
  5. … puts on two resident camps each year: a STEM camp where Scouts earn merit badges in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math; and a Life-to-Eagle camp where Scouts who are at least Star can earn merit badges and work on their Eagle portfolio in the school’s state-of-the-art computer lab.
  6. … sponsors Eagle Scouts at the Laurel Highlands Council’s Eagle Scout dinner.
  7. … welcomes Scouts working on Eagle Scout service projects. Right now a Scout is working with a Waynesburg environmental science professor to build a nature trail.
  8. … boasts countless faculty who are Eagle Scouts and faculty and staff with children in Scouting.
  9. … has faculty and staff members who are writing a history of the Laurel Highlands Council.
  10. … has a strong Scouting history itself. Gen. Edward Martin, Pennsylvania’s 32nd governor, is a Waynesburg alumni. He started the first Scouting unit in Greene County, Pa., in 1911.

Photos of Waynesburg’s Scouting program in action

Waynesburg-2

Waynesburg-3 Waynesburg-4 Waynesburg-5 Waynesburg-6 Waynesburg-7 Waynesburg-8


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.