Elmira College Announces New Scout Achievement Award
Marking the National Eagle Scout Awareness Day on August 1, Elmira College is announcing a new EC Scout Achievement Award that recognizes the leadership and community focus demonstrated by students who earned the rank of Eagle Scout in Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) and the Gold Award in the Girl Scouts of the USA. This merit-based scholarship recognizes the hard work, leadership, and commitment to community service demonstrated by the select few who earn the highest rank in Scouting America and GSUSA.
“EC is dedicated to keeping higher education affordable, and already, 100% of Elmira College students receive a merit award,” said Patrick Gillette, Elmira College Director of Admissions. “The Elmira College Scout Achievement Award provides outstanding students and future community leaders another opportunity to pursue their dreams and make EC Their Place.”
Effective for students entering Fall 2026 and beyond, students who qualify will receive a $2,500 annual award that’s renewable for up to four years of continuous, full-time undergraduate enrollment. The maximum four-year award totals $10,000. What’s more, this award will not replace, but is added to, any awards a student receives, except where a student is already receiving the full cost of tuition.
The Award is available to both first-year and transfer students who have earned the Eagle Scout Award (Scouting America) or Gold Award (GSUSA). Students do not need to complete a separate application for the award. Instead, the students can submit official documentation about their Eagle Scout and/or Gold awards to the Office of Admissions as part of their application to EC. To be eligible, students must also file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and enroll as a full-time student in a bachelor’s degree program at EC. Students who remain enrolled at EC and stay in good academic standing will automatically have the award renewed each year.
Only a select few, about 4%-6% of scouts, earn Eagle Scout and Gold Awards. Yet according to studies conducted by Baylor University in 2010 and the Girl Scout Research Institute in 2016, those scouts who earn the highest ranks go on to lead in their careers and communities. They tend to report having closer relationships with family and friends and are more likely to volunteer and donate to charitable organizations.
These traits align with EC’s focus on community and preparing students for professional success.
“Our Eagle Scouts’ commitment to community service and leadership makes us proud every day, and we are thrilled that Elmira College is rewarding them through the Scout Achievement Award,” said Gary Decker, CEO and Scout Executive for Great Falls Council, Scouting America. "This is an incredible benefit to any Eagle Scout pursuing higher education, and we are very grateful to Elmira College for making it possible for these scouts.”
“We appreciate and thank Elmira College for recognizing the incredible accomplishments of Gold Award Girl Scouts through the new EC Scout Achievement Award,” said Julie Dale, CEO, Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways Council. “This generous scholarship honors prestigious young women whose leadership, grit, and dedication set them apart; we’re proud to see their highest Girl Scout achievement celebrated in this meaningful way.”
“Eagle Scouts and Gold Award recipients bring to campus the kind of leadership, resilience, and service-minded spirit that enriches the entire Elmira College community,” said Gillette. “These students have already demonstrated their ability to set goals, overcome challenges, and make a lasting impact—qualities that align perfectly with our values and our vision for student success.”
Learn More about EC’s Scholarships and Awards.
About Elmira College
Founded in 1855, Elmira College is a private, residential, liberal arts college offering 30-plus majors, an honors program, 17 academic societies, and 19 intercollegiate programs with 15 NCAA Division III-sponsored sports. Located in the Southern Finger Lakes Region of New York, Elmira's undergraduate and graduate student population hails from more than 20 states and nine countries. Elmira is a Phi Beta Kappa College and has been ranked a top college, nationally, for student internships. The College is also home to the Center for Mark Twain Studies, one of four historically significant Twain heritage sites in the U.S., which attracts Twain scholars and educators from around the world for research on the famous literary icon. Proud of its history and tradition, the College is committed to the ideals of community service, and intellectual and individual growth.
About Great Falls Council
Great Falls Council, Scouting America currently serves more than 5,000 youth in Western New York and the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania with year-round, youth-development programs that foster young people’s leadership, character, citizenship and well-being through indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit www.gfcscouting.org or call 607-732-9047.
About Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways Council (GSNYPENN)
Girl Scouts is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls* in grades K-12. Our extraordinary journey began in 1912 when our Movement was founded by Juliette Gordon Low (also known as “Daisy”). Today, we continue our mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place and offer every girl the chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure and success. We are chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA to administer the Girl Scout program in 24 counties of New York and two in Pennsylvania. Learn more at gsnypenn.org.
*GSNYPENN uses the term “girl” inclusively to speak to everyone who identifies with the Girl Scout experience, which includes cisgender girls, gender-expansive youth, transgender youth, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, genderqueer youth and any girl-identifying human.