ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOOTCAMP FOR VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES KICKS OFF
Education Desk
June 09, 2009
Florida State University College of Business Welcomes Second Class of Veterans.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Twenty veterans with disabilities from post-Sept. 11 conflicts reported to the Florida State University College of Business today to begin the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program. From today through June 17, the veterans will take classes, participate in workshops and breakout groups, and hear from industry professionals while they create or enhance their own business plans.
"We are very excited to welcome our second class of veterans," said Randy Blass, an assistant professor of organization behavior at Florida State and director of the boot camp program. "The program is a proven success, and it is an honor to provide this service to those who have sacrificed so much for all of us."
The program brings together the world-class faculty from the College of Business with entrepreneurs, disability experts and small businesses to provide an intense education in entrepreneurship. The program, which begins with a three-week online course, culminates in the on-campus residency "boot camp" that is provided to the participants cost-free and is followed by 12 months of ongoing support and mentorship from faculty experts.
In this the second year of the program, veterans will hear a keynote address by a 2008 boot camp graduate, J.R. Martinez, who attended the program to learn how to market his persona and now is a regular cast member on the television show "All My Children."
"The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program is all about opportunities," said Blass, who returned to his doctoral alma mater to teach after retiring as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force. "Returning from service is a daunting experience, and acclimating into civilian life can be extremely difficult. This program strives to ease this transition by giving each veteran participant the opportunity to create a business and develop a career."
The boot camp program, which was begun in 2007 at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, is offered at a consortium of schools composed of Florida State, Texas A&M University, the University of California, Los Angeles, Purdue University and Syracuse. The program has been recognized by the Army Community Covenant program of the Department of the Army as a "national best practice" program.
"Universities have the capacity to change lives, and we are leveraging that capacity with the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities," said Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the College of Business at Florida State. "In our time of need, servicemen and women answered the call. Now the veterans are calling upon us for help, and this program is answering their call."
For more information about Florida State´s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, contact Randy Blass at (850) 644-7859 or rblass@cob.fsu.edu or visit www.cob.fsu.edu/ebv.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Twenty veterans with disabilities from post-Sept. 11 conflicts reported to the Florida State University College of Business today to begin the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program. From today through June 17, the veterans will take classes, participate in workshops and breakout groups, and hear from industry professionals while they create or enhance their own business plans.
"We are very excited to welcome our second class of veterans," said Randy Blass, an assistant professor of organization behavior at Florida State and director of the boot camp program. "The program is a proven success, and it is an honor to provide this service to those who have sacrificed so much for all of us."
The program brings together the world-class faculty from the College of Business with entrepreneurs, disability experts and small businesses to provide an intense education in entrepreneurship. The program, which begins with a three-week online course, culminates in the on-campus residency "boot camp" that is provided to the participants cost-free and is followed by 12 months of ongoing support and mentorship from faculty experts.
In this the second year of the program, veterans will hear a keynote address by a 2008 boot camp graduate, J.R. Martinez, who attended the program to learn how to market his persona and now is a regular cast member on the television show "All My Children."
"The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program is all about opportunities," said Blass, who returned to his doctoral alma mater to teach after retiring as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force. "Returning from service is a daunting experience, and acclimating into civilian life can be extremely difficult. This program strives to ease this transition by giving each veteran participant the opportunity to create a business and develop a career."
The boot camp program, which was begun in 2007 at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, is offered at a consortium of schools composed of Florida State, Texas A&M University, the University of California, Los Angeles, Purdue University and Syracuse. The program has been recognized by the Army Community Covenant program of the Department of the Army as a "national best practice" program.
"Universities have the capacity to change lives, and we are leveraging that capacity with the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities," said Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the College of Business at Florida State. "In our time of need, servicemen and women answered the call. Now the veterans are calling upon us for help, and this program is answering their call."
For more information about Florida State´s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, contact Randy Blass at (850) 644-7859 or rblass@cob.fsu.edu or visit www.cob.fsu.edu/ebv.
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