Sandra Steele, Educational Consultant

Aggie Eagle / Gold Program

For quite sometime the Corps of Cadets has counted over 300 Eagle Scouts among its membership. The number has varied a little from year to year. However, it seemed to be on the rise not on the decline. Oddly enough, this was all accidental. There had never been any design or program to actively recruit Eagle Scouts. The conclusion was simple. The same character traits that drew a boy to scouting and retained his interest until the Eagle was awarded, also brought that individual to Texas A&M and to the Corps of Cadets.

This past fall, a pilot program was launched to determine if there was an interest on the part of Eagle Scouts and to determine if the Corps could capture that interest. As recruiting programs go, this is a difficult one. Most recruiting efforts start with a list of names, which are generally worked until only the interested remain. Due to the confidentiality concerns of all scouting organizations, no list could be provided. In fact, no list was requested. The program started with nothing more than the Aggie Network and word of mouth communication. Fortunately, there are a great many Aggies involved in scouting at all levels.

On November 12, 2004, 56 Eagle Scouts arrived at the Corps Center. The turn out was surprising. First, no one knew if any scouts would be interested. There was no predictability of attendance. The event had been purposely restricted to just three BSA councils in Texas for fear that it might prove disastrous. Registration commenced at 3pm. The president of the National Eagle Scout Association, the University's President, Dr. Robert Gates, dropped by and visited one on one with each scout. At the evening Recognition Banquet, the Eagles saw their first taste of Corps life. Lt. General John Vanalstyne spoke to all attendees capturing not only the attention of the scouts but that of their moms and dads as well. Corps scholarships were award to qualified scouts. The evening was concluded when the scouts marched to Kyle Field for Midnight Yell with 25,000 of their newly found friends. The Spirit of Aggieland had infected all attendees by the time the Aggies had beaten Texas Tech in overtime.

The biggest surprise of the weekend was the willingness, and in some cases, the insistence of the parents of scouts to become involved in the program. Most of these parents were scout masters or scout executives who saw things in the Aggie Eagle Program that were not readily apparent to the organizers themselves. These parents, for the most part, were not Aggies. Now reinforced with additional volunteers, the program moved forward towards its first complete event in February 2005. The Aggie Network, assisted by parents of Eagles, brought 66 scouts to the event in February, including the first GSA Gold Award holder.

Twelve BSA Councils were represented. Scouting parents from the first event recruited 10 of the 66 attendees. The Commandant, Lt. Gen. John Vanalstyne, conducted the opening session. The General pulled no punches, giving the scouts and their parents a true picture of what it means to be a member of the Corps of Cadets.

The keynote speaker at the CCA Recognition Banquet was U. S. Congressman and Eagle Scout, Pete Sessions of Dallas. The program concluded Saturday with the Aggie basketball team besting Texas Tech.

Both programs were highly rated by the attending scouts and their parents. Between the fall pilot program and the spring event, the Commandant awarded $352,800 in Corps scholarships and tuition reductions. Corps scholarships do not require military service. In addition to the awarded scholarship, each scout left with the knowledge that they could apply for additional Corps scholarships. The Commandant awards those based on merit and need.

The Corps has several recruiting programs designed to interest academically qualified students in the Corps of Cadets. However, the Aggie Eagle / Gold program goes a step further. It seeks to recruit students with certain leadership skills and specific character traits. The motto of the program is “The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets-The BSA Eagle Scouts, two groups-same character.”

The next event will be September 23-24, 2005. Eagle / Gold Award recipients may register online at http://www.aggiecorps.org and by clicking on the Aggie Eagles link. For additional information you may contact the Program Coordinator, Joe G. Bax ’01 by email at joegbax@yahoo.com or by telephone at 936-851-2576 or Col. Jon Hall or Theresa Becka at 1-800-TAMU-AGS.