The Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University (SU) will lead a nationwide partnership with University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management, Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, and Florida State University’s College of Business to offer training in entrepreneurship and small business management to veterans with disabilities.
The consortium is an extension of SU’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program, first offered in summer 2007 at SU, which enrolled 20 veterans with disabilities. The EBV integrates world-class faculty, entrepreneurs, disability experts and business professionals in an educational program focused on training veterans in the competencies associated with small business ownership.
“Syracuse University and the Whitman School are proud to lead this new nationwide partnership,” said Nancy Cantor, SU’s chancellor and president. “By expanding our innovative Bootcamp program across the nation, we will provide disabled men and women who have served abroad the resources and training to help them follow and pursue their dreams as they rejoin their communities at home.”
The four-university EBV partnership will expand the ability to offer this valuable program to veterans with disabilities. At all four institutions, the EBV curriculum will be standardized, ensuring participants receive a consistent experience.
The EBV program is offered in three phases, from the completion of online courses, to 9-day residencies at participating universities, followed by 12 months of ongoing support and mentorship from the EBV universities. Throughout the EBV experience, students engage in workshops to write business plans, raise capital, attract customers and develop a marketing strategy that is most effective for their business model.
The program is free to the veterans, including travel and accommodations.
Applications for the EBV are accepted on a rolling admissions basis. Early application is encouraged. To create disability-related curriculum and assist participants in understanding and leveraging programs at the intersection of disability and entrepreneurship, the EBV is offered in collaboration with SU’s Burton Blatt Institute, which seeks to advance the civic, economic and social participation of persons with disabilities. For more information, visit the Web site at http://whitman.syr.edu/ebv.
