Purpose
The purpose of the Eagle Board of Review is to verify that you the candidate “While a Life Scout, demonstrated the following.
1. Demonstrated active participation in the Scouting Program
2. Believe in God (Learn More)
2. Planned, developed, and gave leadership to others in a service project (More details below)
The Board's Function
Your Eagle Board of Review will be different from those you have experienced thus far in your Scouting career. First, a member of the District or Council Advancement Committee will sit on the board. They will represent the BSA National Advancement Committee. Second, the board is not the final approval authority. The board’s function is to review your documentation and to determine if you have satisfied all of the rank requirements. If the decision is unanimous they will recommend that National award you the Eagle rank. This extra step is necessary because only the National Council can confer the rank of Eagle. This Guide provides some information to help you prepare for the board.
What to Expect
It is preferred that you appear in full field uniform (Class A) for any board of review. You should wear as much of the uniform as possible, and it should be as correct as possible, with the badges worn properly. A Board of Review is not an OA event; therefore you should not wear the OA sash. If wearing all or part of the uniform is impractical for whatever reason, then you should be clean and neat in appearance and dressed appropriately with shirt worn tucked in.
It is traditional that your unit leader or his representatives introduce you to the board. Most Eagle Board of Reviews will take between 30-60 minutes. At the end, the board will inform you about the remaining steps along your trail to Eagle.
You should not be nervous. Your board is not an examination of scout skills, there are few incorrect answers. You should however be prepared to talk at length about how you met the advancement requirement to plan and develop the Eagle Scout Service Project, how you demonstrated leadership of others, how your Eagle Scout Service Project was of benefit to the community, and be ready to share your successes and experiences in Scouting. Board members are not typically looking for short answers.
In addition you will be asked thought provoking questions regarding your opinions, beliefs or goals. Most questions will not be answerable with a simple yes or no. It is important that you are prepared to talk at length. The board will make sure that good standards of performance have been met in all phases of your life inside and outside of scouting. Scout spirit is a key element. Scout spirit should be demonstrated not only in the troop but at your school and in your community. Much of the board’s proceedings will focus on how you planned, developed and demonstrated leadership in the completion of an Eagle Scout Service Project. Specifically, each member of the board must be satisfied with the answer to the following questions concerning your involvement in your Eagle Service Project . If you are uncomfortable talking, you might want to practice fully answering these questions with your parent or adult leader.
- How did you demonstrate leadership of others?
- Did you indeed direct the project rather than do all of the work yourself?
- Was the project of real value to the religious institution, school or community group?
- Did the project follow the documented plan? Were significant modifications made? Did you seek unit and district approval before making significant changes?
Completion of Board of Review
At the completion of a successful Board of Review, the board chairperson will provide the necessary documentation to the Service Center.
The Service Center will forward the application to the National Council for final approval. You should receive notification regarding status of your advancement in approximately 10-15 business days. If you do not receive timely notification please contact your unit Advancement Chair.
The letters of recommendation written for your board are confidential and are only to be read by members of the board. They will be retained by the District Project Approval Representative.
If your board was not completed you will be told the reason(s). You and the board should reach an agreement regarding steps necessary to satisfy any outstanding issues within a given period. You will be mailed a follow-up letter confirming the agreements reached on the action(s) necessary for the advancement. At this point any communications that you make regarding your work should be written. All of the documentation at the Board of Review will be retained by the District Project Approval Representative.
Alternately if a unanimous recommendation is not reached and the board does not recommend your advancement you will be informed about the appeals process. Should you disagree with the board’s decision you should file an appeal. You will be mailed a follow-up letter describing the appeals process and will be provided the name and address of the person you should contact at the next level.
