University of Missouri–St. Louis Chancellor Kristin Sobolik and Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting CEO Joe Sadewasser finalize a new educational partnership agreement at a signing ceremony on Wednesday morning at the Millennium Student Center as Vice Chancellor Reggie Hill and GSLAC Director of Human Resources Ronda Smith look on. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)

The University of Missouri–St. Louis is partnering with Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting as it continues its commitment to broaden access to higher education and help students bolster their futures by earning their degrees.

To that end, UMSL will provide $5,250 Gold Scholarships to Scouting members who enroll in the university full-time as first-time freshmen beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. UMSL is also steadfast in its support of adult education, and it will provide a 15% tuition reduction to Scouting staff members who enroll part-time in undergraduate and graduate programs at the university.

All students connected with Scouting will also have access to support services as they make progress toward their degrees.

Vice Chancellor Reggie Hill (at left) and GSLAC Director of Human Resources Ronda Smith (at right) helped work out the details of the agreement, which builds on a long-standing relationship between the university and the council.

Chancellor Kristin Sobolik, a member of the Greater St. Louis Area Council’s executive board, joined Scout Executive and CEO Joe Sadewasser to finalize the three-year agreement at a signing ceremony Wednesday morning in the third-floor rotunda of the Millennium Student Center on UMSL’s campus.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with the Greater St. Louis Area Council as we work together to support young people in their future development,” Sobolik said. “UMSL was among the council’s first partners helping to create its STEM University format, which brings scouts to area college campuses for daylong events filled with fun, hands-on educational opportunities with STEM experts. It’s fitting that through this partnership we will now be bringing even more Scouting members to UMSL to continue their education and earn a college degree.”

The Greater St. Louis Area Council serves more than 25,000 young people across 22 districts in Missouri and Illinois. Research shows that more than 75% of Scouting members go on to earn a bachelor’s degree, which is more than twice the national average.

At UMSL, they’ll have opportunities to pursue more than 50 bachelor’s degree programs, from STEM fields and humanities to business, education, nursing and social work.

The partnership with UMSL demonstrates the commitment of both organizations to support the educational journeys of young adults across the St. Louis region.

“We’re thrilled to deepen Scouting’s longstanding partnership with UMSL,” Sadewasser said. “Scouting changes lives and positively impacts the community. As one of the region’s largest youth serving organizations, this collaboration provides a great opportunity for young people involved in Scouting to continue their education locally, change their future, and benefit the entire community.”

The Greater St. Louis Area Council is committing to identifying students who would be a good fit for UMSL and meet the university’s selective admissions requirements. The organization will initiate contact with the university and connect students to UMSL admissions representatives. It will also provide UMSL opportunities to promote programs and recruit Scouting members at on-site and virtual informational meetings.

UMSL, meanwhile, will send an admission representative to college events and activities for Scouting members and host Scouting members and their families for an annual personalized visit day. The university will waive its application fee for students connected to Scouting.

Once Scouting members are enrolled at the university, they will be assigned a success coach in the Office of University Student Support, who will serve as their primary support contact and meet monthly to gauge how they’re doing on campus.

Each Scouting member also will be assigned an academic advisor to ensure they are making satisfactory progress toward their degree. They will have access to resources for tutoring, professional development workshops, academic support services, cultural enrichment and mentorship.

UMSL and the council also plan to partner on an Esports program for interested scouts, as well as on other STEM-related initiatives, and the council will work with UMSL Career Services to create and facilitate opportunities for UMSL students to participate in internships and explore full-time or part-time employment in Scouting.