Ole Miss Merit Badge College Draws Record 244 Scouts, Leaders, Adds STEM

The University of Mississippi hosted a one-day Merit Badge College on March 6, 2026, registering what the university called a record 244 registered Scouts and Scout leaders from five states and eight Scouting councils, and expanding merit badge options to include STEM-focused offerings such as Nuclear Science and Aviation. The university said classes were held across campus and that the scale allowed Scouts to combine hands-on career exposure with a look at college life.

Local coverage shows inconsistent attendance tallies: HottyToddy and a district-focused OxfordEagle piece described about 65 youth members attending a Chicksa District session, while Djournal reported nearly 130 young people gathered on March 2. The university press release and one OxfordEagle story reproduced the 244 figure; the differing numbers appear in contemporaneous local reports and account for Scouts-only, Scouts-plus-leaders, or district-level variations in coverage.

Organizers used multiple Ole Miss facilities for instruction and practical labs. Venues named across reporting include the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center, the Indoor Practice Facility at the Manning Center, the Duff Center STEM facility, South Campus Rec Center, Bishop Hall, Coulter Hall and the University‑Oxford Airport. Aviation merit badge students, the university reported, took flights around Lafayette County with two local pilots, and registrants ate lunch in Rebel Market while moving between sessions.

STEM and trades featured prominently: the university said Scouts could choose from 17 different merit badges spanning sciences, technology and citizenship, while HottyToddy listed 10 specific badges including Astronomy, Digital Technology, Nuclear Science and Welding. HottyToddy and OxfordEagle described Welding students using state-of-the-art tools on CME’s simulated factory floor to gain practical experience; Djournal noted faculty-led classes in archaeology, chemistry and orienteering and showed Miguel Centellas pointing out the Lyceum during a Citizenship in the World class.

Nearly a dozen Ole Miss professors plus staff, students and alumni staffed the event, with named instructors and organizers including Ben Pharr, an Eagle Scout and director of the Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research who serves as Chicksa District committee chair; Lt. Tanner Hudson, an Eagle Scout and assistant professor of naval science who taught Nuclear Science; Matthew Shaner, an assistant professor of marketing who taught Personal Management; Virginia Pence‑Waddell, assistant university architect and Cub Scout assistant cubmaster guiding Architecture; and Miguel Centellas, Croft associate instructional professor and Oxford scoutmaster. The university attributed this campus-engagement model as a recruitment and outreach benefit: Ben Pharr said, "It was wonderful to see our Scouts crisscrossing campus on their way to their next class or to find them clustered around a UM professor who serves as their merit badge instructor, as they take in something valuable about our beautiful campus." Lt. Tanner Hudson said, "To me, it is important to give back to this community and ensure that the new generation has the same opportunities to learn, explore and grow that I did."

Provost Noel Wilkin, who identified himself as an Eagle Scout in university remarks, framed the event as demystifying higher education and linked it to scholarship opportunities: "The University of Mississippi is proud to host the Merit Badge College for the Chicksa District. As an Eagle Scout myself, I am convinced of the value that earning merit badges affords. As a leading educational institution, we recognize that learning on our campus demystifies college and reinforces the value of education. Additionally, Ole Miss offers scholarships for Eagle Scouts, and I hope that these participants will continue their progress within the Scouting program." Joe Connole, identified as the council’s senior district executive in district coverage, added gratitude for the partnership with the university, saying, "We are extremely grateful to the University of Mississippi for helping us host this Merit Badge College and for being a partner in the BSA’s mission to offer unique experiences, leadership opportunities and character development for our area youth."

Photographer Jason Bouldin supplied images of the event, including a photograph of Virginia Pence‑Waddell guiding Scouts through Architecture requirements. Reporting on the event preserves both the university's campus-wide recruitment aim and the local, hands-on STEM and trades experiences that organizers say bridge Scouting, career pathways and college exposure for Lafayette County youth.