'Boot camp' for veterans with disabilities received key support from Florida Veterans Foundation

The Florida State University Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities has been awarded a grant from the Florida Veterans Foundation to cover costs for four veterans to attend this year’s program at the university.

The boot-camp program, which is administered in the FSU College of Business’ Jim Moran Institute, provides entrepreneurship training to veterans from all branches of the military who have been disabled as a result of their post-Sept. 11 service. The program consists of a three-week online component and a nine-day residency at a host school. It is offered free to all veterans who are accepted, but each year the program must raise the funds necessary to accommodate the veterans.

“This is a big drop in our bucket,” says Randy Blass, director of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities at Florida State. “The biggest challenge we face is raising money to fund the program. We are the only university that hosts the boot-camp program that is not operating from an endowment."

The four veterans whose costs will be borne by the Florida Veterans Foundation are all residents of the state. They are currently participating in the online portion of the boot camp and will attend Florida State for the residency portion from June 8 to June 16.

Developed by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities is offered at a consortium of six schools: Florida State, Syracuse, Texas A&M University, the University of California Los Angeles, Purdue University and the University of Connecticut.

The Florida Veterans Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, provides financial assistance and services to Florida veterans and their families.

“The boot-camp program not only offers a world-class entrepreneurship education from our world-renowned entrepreneurship faculty in the Jim Moran Institute but also provides veterans with a tool to help them transition back to their civilian lives,” said Caryn L. Beck-Dudley, dean of the FSU College of Business. “As a university, we teach more than simply what is in books; the boot-camp program is no different. Graduates come away with not only an education but also a new confidence and a drive to succeed.”