The Outstanding Master’s Thesis/Project Award is funded through an endowment established by Nancy and Charles Chapin, along with gifts from other donors.
In addition to providing funding for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis/Project Award, Charles and Nancy Chapin have provided support for Brookens Library, the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence and scholarships. Charles, associated with the Chapin & Chapin law firm for over 50 years, joined Brown, Hay & Stephens as Of Counsel in 2002. He passed away in 2015. Both Charles and Nancy have exhibited an interest in local history, having contributed articles and booklets to various local organizations over the years. Nancy earned a Master’s degree in Psychology from Sangamon State University (now UIS) in 1973 and continues to be active in the Springfield community and at UIS.
2020-2021 Outstanding Master’s Thesis Awardee
Comprehensive Marketing and Communications Strategy Guide for the Abraham Lincoln Boy Scout Council, Springfield Illinois
Angela Try
Communication Department
Committee Chair: Dr. Kathy Novak
For more than 111 years, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has historically been known as a wholesome, service-based, youth leadership organization that prides itself on outdoor adventure, “hands-on learning and achievement that puts kids in the middle of the action and prepares them for today - and for life,” (Scout Me In, n.d.) According to their website the BSA is, “one of the nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations, providing programs for young people that build character,” (About the BSA, n.d.). Throughout that time the organization has leaned heavily on organic communication that comes from personal experience and word-of-mouth to recruit members and communicate its purpose. Local councils have dedicated time, man hours and physical and monetary resources to recruitment and programs while any strategic communication or marketing plan was left to the BSA national organization. The organization hit a peak of 5 million members in 1973, but membership has been on a steady decline since that time with steeper declines in the past 20 years (Rodriguez, 2012). The 2019 annual report lists BSA membership at 2,118,449: a loss of nearly 60% of members in 46 years. Steep declines are thought to be attributed to competition from other youth organizations, including youth sports, coupled with a criticism of the organization’s hegemonic and patriarchal values from the younger civil rights generation, sexual abuse allegations, lawsuits and a bankruptcy declaration. The BSA national organization’s employment of communication practitioners at the top level has helped keep the corporate ship somewhat upright, albeit in a seemingly reactive rather than proactive manner, but the organization’s lack of decades-long communication guidance for smaller councils has left them ill-prepared to assist in the most pressing problem, recruitment which leads to organizational sustainability. This research project will examine the communication process within the local organization for its critical necessity, from building a positive public perception to managing crisis, building community relations and managing diverse stakeholders. In the end, the project will outline a comprehensive and strategic communication plan which will include research, tools and assets for implementation by paid staff and volunteers of the Abraham Lincoln Council.
