ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOOTCAMP FOR VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES RECEIVES BEST PRACTICE DESIGNATATION
Education Desk
March 12, 2009
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a program that helps men and women returning from military service learn the ins and outs of starting a business, has been recognized by the Army Community Covenant program of the Department of the Army as a "National Best Practice."
The boot camp, which is located at The Florida State University and four other universities around the United States, is an educational initiative that offers training in the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and business ownership to U.S. military members disabled as a result of their military service in post-Sept. 11 conflicts. Entrepreneurship and small business ownership represent a means for veterans with service-connected disabilities to overcome barriers to traditional employment and realize an honorable and meaningful future for themselves and their families.
"As a nation we are great at transitioning civilians to military life, yet we are not so great at re-integrating them back to civilian life," said Randy Blass, the program director for Florida State´s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. "This program focuses on that re-integration by fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship. It goes well beyond the symbolic magnetic yellow ribbon and actually strives to make a difference."
The boot camp program focuses on practical training in the tools of new venture creation and growth, reflecting issues unique to disability and public benefits programs. Through experiential workshops and lessons from world-class entrepreneurship faculty, boot camp participants learn how to write business plans, raise capital and attract customers. The program is offered without any cost to eligible and accepted veterans and is funded through the private gifts of alumni, entrepreneurs, corporations and business leaders from across the United States.
"(The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities) provided me with firsthand insight into the world of entrepreneurship from those who know it best," said Drew Wyatt, a boot camp graduate. "It gave me the structure I needed to begin putting together a business plan that has become the backbone of my project."
First introduced in 2007 by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities expanded nationally into the EBV Consortium of Schools in 2008. The consortium, which also includes Florida State; Purdue University; Texas A&M University; and the University of California, Los Angeles, represents one of the most significant partnerships since World War II among some of the United States´ most prestigious business schools that is specifically focused on opening the doors of America´s colleges and universities to veterans motivated by business ownership.
"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, as they need us, they are having a tough time getting anyone to listen. This program is answering their call."
For more information about Florida State´s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, call Randy Blass at (850) 644-7859, e-mail him at rblass@cob.fsu.edu or visit www.cob.fsu.edu/ebv.
The boot camp, which is located at The Florida State University and four other universities around the United States, is an educational initiative that offers training in the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and business ownership to U.S. military members disabled as a result of their military service in post-Sept. 11 conflicts. Entrepreneurship and small business ownership represent a means for veterans with service-connected disabilities to overcome barriers to traditional employment and realize an honorable and meaningful future for themselves and their families.
"As a nation we are great at transitioning civilians to military life, yet we are not so great at re-integrating them back to civilian life," said Randy Blass, the program director for Florida State´s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. "This program focuses on that re-integration by fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship. It goes well beyond the symbolic magnetic yellow ribbon and actually strives to make a difference."
The boot camp program focuses on practical training in the tools of new venture creation and growth, reflecting issues unique to disability and public benefits programs. Through experiential workshops and lessons from world-class entrepreneurship faculty, boot camp participants learn how to write business plans, raise capital and attract customers. The program is offered without any cost to eligible and accepted veterans and is funded through the private gifts of alumni, entrepreneurs, corporations and business leaders from across the United States.
"(The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities) provided me with firsthand insight into the world of entrepreneurship from those who know it best," said Drew Wyatt, a boot camp graduate. "It gave me the structure I needed to begin putting together a business plan that has become the backbone of my project."
First introduced in 2007 by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities expanded nationally into the EBV Consortium of Schools in 2008. The consortium, which also includes Florida State; Purdue University; Texas A&M University; and the University of California, Los Angeles, represents one of the most significant partnerships since World War II among some of the United States´ most prestigious business schools that is specifically focused on opening the doors of America´s colleges and universities to veterans motivated by business ownership.
"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, as they need us, they are having a tough time getting anyone to listen. This program is answering their call."
For more information about Florida State´s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, call Randy Blass at (850) 644-7859, e-mail him at rblass@cob.fsu.edu or visit www.cob.fsu.edu/ebv.
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