Prerequisites:

1. Current registration as a Commissioner

2. Current BSA Youth Protection Training Certificate

3. Completion of “Commissioner Basic Training.” You may access this training online at my.scouting.org.

Course Requirements: Completion of seven courses of instruction, at least five of the courses at the Bachelor's program level.

Courses Offered:

The courses below and faculty are subject to change. 

BCS 107 Journey to Excellence

Faculty:  Terry Polzin

Course description:  National Course

JTE is the BSA’s tool for helping leaders plan their program, monitor progress, and assess their Scouting success. Scouting success takes many forms, and JTE success employs a “balanced scorecard” as a result. The standards enable both large Scout units and small ones to succeed — as long as they provide good Scouting to youth. In addition, The JTE scorecard provides commissioners with information that enables them to give the greatest possible help and support to the unit.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Explain the value of the unit’s use of Journey to Excellence. 

• Relate the use of JTE to help the unit recognize the benefit of building their program around the Journey to Excellence criteria. 

• Identify resources to help improve Journey to Excellence performance in the unit. 

BCS 201 The Commissioner and Cub Scouting

Faculty:  Greg Upole, Canal District Chairman

Course Description: Local course

The purpose of The Commissioner and Cub Scouting is to focus on retention. It is designed for new and seasoned Commissioners to learn more about and understand Pack level challenges and have an in-depth knowledge of the program's ins and outs. Section content will include Recruiting, Membership, Program, and relating/teaching information to the Pack Leaders.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Identify the methods, challenges, and goals of recruiting and membership

•  Identify/describe facets of the Pack program

•  Teach/coach Pack leaders regarding these subjects

BCS 109 The Essential Element (A Servant’s Heart)

Faculty: Bill Hedrick, Canal District Commissioner

Course Description: National Course

In 1970, Robert Greenleaf introduced the term “servant leadership.” He wrote an essay titled “The Servant as Leader” that was later expanded into a book. That book is a very influential management text that launched the servant leadership movement. However, the concept is thousands of years old and stems, at least partly, from religious teachings on leadership.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Define the characteristics of servant leadership

• Understand a servant’s heart

• Apply this concept in unit service

BCS 117 The Commissioner and the Unit Key 3

Faculty: Mike Panasiti, Retired Professional Scouter

Course Description: National Course

This course examines the roles of the Unit Key 3 and how a commissioner works with and coaches each.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to

• IDENTIFY the roles of the unit Key 3.

• UNDERSTAND the need to CREATE a working bond between the unit Key 3 and the unit commissioner.

BCS 114 Understanding and Communicating with Today’s Leaders

Faculty: Bryan Roubanes

Course Description: National Course

We, as commissioners, need to understand the differences in relating to the generations involved in scouting and inclusiveness. As commissioners, we can embrace the differences and similarities to make the scouting program stronger. A lack of understanding across generations can have detrimental effects on communication and relationships. In this session, we are going to focus on how these new generations are affecting the BSA and how the BSA can target Gen Xers and Millennials.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Identify the characteristics of generations within Scouting’s leaders.

• Understand the differences in relating to generations involved in scouting

• Embrace the differences and similarities to make the scouting program stronger.

BCS 106 Coaching Leaders

Faculty: Fritz Coombs

Course Description:  National Course

In this course, a commissioner will become familiar with the new Coaching model and how to use it to better serve their units.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Recognize the importance of coaching

• Employ coaching methods to address different situations

• Evaluate options for resolution

BCS 116 Collaborative Assessments

Faculty: Bob Hemmerly, NST 9 Commissioner elect

Course Description: National Course

This course examines and discusses the need for collaboration in assessing the unit’s strengths and needs to build a Unit Service Plan with the unit leaders and record progress in Commissioner Tools in working toward their goals.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Understand the importance of the Collaborative Assessment 

• Develop and utilize a Unit Service Plan

• Assess and record results of the Unit Service Plan in Commissioner Tools

Prerequisites: 

1. Current registration as a Commissioner

2. Current BSA Youth Protection Training Certificate

3. Completion of Master’s Degree

4. Have been awarded the Commissioner’s Key

Course Requirements: Completion of 10 additional courses of instruction (total of 24) at least five of the courses at the Doctorate or Continuing Education program level. Courses may not have previously been counted toward other college degrees.

Thesis or Project: It is recommended that the topic of a project or thesis be directly related to unit service. There may be specific circumstances under which a topic related to another area of Scouting would be appropriate. Local councils have the authority to approve topics related to another area of Scouting when selecting one directly related to unit service isn't appropriate or practical. The council commissioner or designee may authorize an alternate topic. This can be on any topic related to Commissioner Service.

1. The topic must be pre-approved by the college of commissioner science committee.

2. Complete the thesis/project using the approved format as determined by the college.

3. The topic and final paper must be approved by the doctoral review committee.

4. All segments (proposal, proposal acceptance, thesis/project completion, thesis acceptance ) of the degree must be approved by the college of commissioner science

Commissioner Performance: Serve for at least one year on the college of commissioner science staff (instructor or support staff), or work with training support for commissioners for at least one year.

Courses Offered

Courses Offered

DCS-501     Selecting Your Project or Thesis Topic

Faculty: David Rice

Course Description:

This session assists doctoral candidates in selecting their project or thesis concept.

Course objectives:

1. Identify what constitutes a good topic or focus area.

2. Distinguish between a project and thesis.

3. Describe DCS Degree and Knot requirements

DCS-502     Limiting the Scope of the Topic 

Faculty: David Rice

Course Description:

Doctoral candidates explore various procedures to reduce their topic to a workable size. A suggested approval process will also be shared.

Course objectives:

1. Select a specific project / thesis topic.

2. Complete S.M.A.R.T. analysis for a selected topic

DCS-503     Developing Your Project or Thesis

Faculty: David Rice

Course Description:

This session covers the project or thesis outline and a variety of suggestions for writing and revising the report.

Course objectives:

1. Identify the main parts of a project report / thesis.

2. Develop a first draft outline.

3. Identify methods of gathering information.

4. Give examples of common writing errors to be avoided when writing the project report or thesis

DCS-504     Project  Thesis Open Workshop Forum

Faculty: David Rice

Course Description:

This Q and A open forum provides doctoral candidates an opportunity to review completed projects and theses instilling confidence that this task is attainable.

Course objectives:

1. Describe challenges / solutions faced by Doctors of Commissioner Science.

2. Evaluate other possible topics for project or thesis.

3. Discover possible solutions to concerns during Q and A period

Presentations of Doctoral Thesis

Those candidates ready will present their thesis in this session.

Courses Offered

DCS 514 Building Meaningful Relationships

Faculty: Patrick Scherer, Great Trail Council Scout Executive

Course Description: National Course

Commissioner service is all about relationships. In this course we will discuss how commissioners may go about building and maintaining positive relationships with those they serve. We’ll also explore possible pitfalls that can undermine relationships.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Discuss the top ten characteristics people seek in positive relationships.

• Explain one way to measure relationships

• Explore possible mistakes that can harm relationships

• Explain how to rebuild a damaged relationship

CED 801 – The Commissioners Role in Retention 

Faculty: Steve Myers

Course Description:  Local Course

The Commissioner can support retention by asking 1. Is the unit is retaining a high number of scouts? 2. Are youth leaving the program or staying? 3. Why are scouts leaving, at what age, and in what numbers? 4. Are there explicit plans to improve retention? and 5. Do unit leaders understand how to keep their older scouts. They can help units  through rechartering, unit visits, assessments, unit service plans, and helping unit leaders get specialized training to support their older scouts. 

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Define retention and know who to identify retention problems

• be able to explain how large troops with quality programs have the best retention

• tell why scouts leave their troop 

• explain the ages and stages of youth 

• describe ways to help their older scouts flourish

MCS 306 Mentoring Skills

Faculty:  Bill Lovell

Course Description: National Course

Mentoring is a long term relationship in which one individual supports and guides the personal or professional growth and development of another. Mentoring is an essential skill of a commissioner and this course will provide tools for commissioners to use when mentoring others. This course will also explore the similarities and subtle differences between mentoring and coaching.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Recognize the role of a mentor

• Understand mentoring methods

• Discuss building the mentoring relationship

DCS 512 – Recruiting for Diversity (NEW!!)

Faculty: Chris Scott

Course Description:  National Course

How do we ensure that every unit is supported to offer a quality Scouting program? Simple. We recruit and empower enough commissioners for the task. Throughout this course we will come to a better understanding of the need for diversity in scouting volunteers as well as ways to work toward recruiting a more diverse commissioner corps.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Describe the need for diversity

• Understand the definition of diversity

• Identify the practices to be added to recruiting practices

DCS 516 – The Unit Service Plan and the District

Faculty:  Sharri Buck, Great Trail Commissioner Elect

Course Description: National Course

In this session we will examine the district commissioner’s role in completing unit service plans and how the district committee plays a key role in service plan completion.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Discuss the importance of developing a Unit Service Plan

• Identify the district commissioner’s role in the successful completion of Unit Service Plans

• Understand the role of the district committee in successfully completing a unit service plan

DCS 509 – Legacy of Servant Leadership (NEW!! )

Faculty: Dave Harman, Great Trail Council Commissioner

Course Description:  National Course

In one of your first CCS experiences, you more than likely participated in a class called The Essential Element (A Servant’s Heart). That Bachelor’s level class introduced the concept of servant leadership and established the expectation that commissioners served units and other volunteers. Simply put, servant leadership is people centered, unselfish and an investment in the lives of others. It is a sincere desire to help rather than control. It reflects an inward sense of morality – right vs. wrong rather than what’s in it for me. That is the difference between leadership that works and leadership that endures.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this session, each participant should be able to 

• Explore characteristics of servant leaders,

• Understand servant leadership in Scouting, and

• Recognize the legacy of servant leadership