Roundtable Commissioners' Symposium

College of Commissioner Science National Curriculum

This is a working draft of a proposed Symposium on Roundtables as part of a new Initiative on Roundtables in Great Trail Council.
Questions and suggestions to Commissioners@gtcbsa.org

See the National Commissioner Service Team's Roundtable Support page at https://www.scouting.org/commissioners/roundtable-support


Join us for our first Symposium on Roundtable Commissioning 


This event is on hold and may be rescheduled. 


8:00 am - 5:00 pm

in the Great Trail Council at

Location TBD

Pricing:

To be determined

This symposium will be different than the typical College of Commissioner Science offered by the Great Trail Council. The primary difference is the entire day will be focused learning on Roundtables as a part of unit service. Another difference will be the invitation being extended to District Chairs and District Executives because of their importance to the effective execution of Roundtables. Finally, while much of the curriculum will include the Nationally developed and approved College of Commissioner Science courses, time will be given to discuss and reflect on our evolving practices in supporting unit service throughout Roundtables. 

Christopher Beaver

Keynote speakers (tentative)

Christopher Beaver, Roundtable Chair, National Commissioner Service Team

Mati Mayfield, Roundtable Group, National Commissioners Service Team

Both Christopher and Mati are authors of National College of Commissioner Science Courses on Roundtable and will bring much insight to our symposium. 

The roundtable program exists to

Ultimately, we as roundtable commissioners must meet the needs of the unit leaders we serve. We do this through listening to their questions and concerns and by tailoring our roundtable programs to address these needs. 

A successful roundtable program will be


Who may attend the Symposium on Roundtables?

This symposium is a part of the College of Commissioner Science offerings and follows the Great Trail Council's 2022 College of Commissioner Science by two months. The purpose of the one day symposium is to help strengthen Roundtables and the Roundtable Commissioners  directly. Every commissioner supporting and participating in roundtables on a monthly basis should attend this training day.  

Not just for commissioners: It is also an important opportunity for District Chairs and District Executives to review the best design and workings of a district roundtable and its unit service role. 

Prerequisite: Basic Commissioner Training is required if you are seeking a degree. You may access this training online at my.scouting.org

This day will offer the opportunity to earn a  Masters degree in the College of Commissioner Science. To receive the masters designation, you must meet all of the requirements for the Masters degree as set out below. 

All Councils Welcomed

Everyone from all councils are welcome to this college put on by Great Trail College, headquartered in Stow OH.

What can you expect from the day

While planning is fluid at this point you might expect some of the following:

Degrees Awarded

Our current thinking is to offer at least the masters degree in Commissioner Science via the offering of the 7 Masters courses in Roundtable. This is not a separate masters in roundtable, but a course curriculum leading to a masters in the College of Commissioner Science.  All courses offered are applicable to any College level degree following the National Standards. 

Our Reciprocity agreement can be read on our 2022 College of Commissioner Science website at college.gtcbsa.org

Survey based design

We expect to design the actual roundtables based on surveys so we better understand the needs of districts and unit leaders about roundtables. We will conduct local surveys, but a survey of all 310 Council Commissioners across the US in Spring 2022 (with 49% responding) found:

Council Commissioner confidence in their roundtable staffs’ possession of the needed skills to conduct virtual roundtables significantly influences their outlooks on virtual roundtables in their council.

You can see the results of this survey in our GTC library at https://www.gtcbsa.org/resources/commissioners/meeting-agendas.  Look in the month of May 2022. 

Possible Course Offerings

Available Courses for a Roundtable Curriculum from the National Curriculum. 

Friendly warning, all links below will download the full curriculum from the National Commissioner Development web page. 

BCS 150 – Roundtables in Unit Service (Updated 08/01/2021)  last offered 2019 by GTC COCS

BCS 151 – The Roundtable Commissioner Team (Updated 08/01/2021)

BCS 152 – Planning, Implementing and Promoting Roundtables (Updated 08/01/2021)

BCS 153 – Roundtable and Commissioner Tools (Updated 08/01/2021)  last offered 2019 by GTC COCS

BCS 154 – Roundtable Fundamentals (updated 12/31/2021)


MCS 350 – Unit & Roundtable Commissioners Working Together (updated 8/01/2021)   last offered 2019, 2020, and planned for 2022 by GTC COCS

MCS 351 – Conducting the Roundtable Planning Session (updated 01/31/2022)

MCS 352 – Roundtable is Over – Now What (Updated 08/01/2021)

MCS 353 – The Cub Scout Roundtable Breakout (updated 8/01/2021)

MCS 354 – The Scouts BSA Roundtable Breakout (updated 8/01/2021)

MCS 357 – Managing Long Distance Roundtables (updated 8/01/2021)

MCS 358 – Addressing Unit Challenges through Roundtable (updated 01/31/2022)   last offered 2021, and planned for 2022 by GTC COCS


DCS 550 – Leveraging Roundtables in Unit Service (NEW!! 12/31/2021)

CED 751 – Role of the Administrative Commissioner in the Roundtable Program (NEW!! 12/31/2021)

CED 752 – Advanced Roundtable Promotion (NEW!! 12/31/2021)


Possible models

Masters only program - Offer 7 MCS courses.

Participants would have to have Bachelors degree and other requirements to qualify for the masters.

We plan to offer a general session on roundtable commissioner tools administration, with desired local standards. 


Masters Plus program

Track 1: Offer  7 MCS courses in one track

Track 2: Offer BCS, DCS and CED courses as alternatives for those not needing the Masters program (those who already have masters or doctors) or desireous of the varied curriculum. 

We plan to offer a general session on roundtable commissioner tools administration, with desired local standards. 


The Roundtable Symposium Master Program

The Master Program offers more advanced courses, numbered from 300 to 499.  These courses will be most beneficial to an experienced or an administrative commissioner. Again many of the topics are familiar but are explained in more detail with more student interaction. All courses are newly revised in 2021.


Click to reveal 2023 course details and Degree Requirements

Prerequisites: 

Course Requirements: Completion of seven (7) additional courses of instruction (total of 14), at least seven of the courses at the Master's level.

Actual Courses will be listed here when selected. 

Courses Offered


MCS xxx – 

Faculty: 

Course Description: 

Course Objectives:


Commissioner Roundtable recorded webinar, July 2020. 

from the roundtable support page

Commissioner Roundtable PowerPoint slides, July 2020. 

from the roundtable support page

All-Commissioners-Webinar_07.15.2020.pptx