Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Disabled Vets Comes to UConn

The University of Connecticut’s School of Business today announced it has joined the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), a major initiative that helps rebuild the lives and economic potential of the country’s veterans with disabilities.

UConn becomes the sixth member of a consortium of business schools offering the program, and the first in New England. Each school annually hosts up to 25 veterans with disabilities who participate in cutting-edge training in entrepreneurship and small business management.

“The University of Connecticut is honored to share in the efforts of the EBV consortium to enrich the lives of veterans with service-connected disabilities,” says Michael J. Hogan, University president. “A close-knit university community like UConn’s can provide a nurturing environment in which these distinguished veterans can further develop their professional skills after serving our country. It goes without saying that we owe a great debt to these individuals who sacrificed so much. It’s our privilege to use our resources and the expertise of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other supporters to do what we can to improve the lives of these veterans and their families.”

The EBV program includes a four-week online course to bring veterans up-to-speed on business ideas; a nine-day on-campus immersion workshop for veterans to learn from business faculty and successful local entrepreneurs, and an ongoing mentoring program to support the veterans as they implement their business concepts.

“The opportunity for us to host this program is truly an honor, and I’m excited about the possibilities for business education to give back to veterans who have given so much for our country,” says Christopher Earley, dean of the business school. “I believe the EBV program will help set an agenda for UConn’s future. Moving forward, the next generation of global business leaders will need not only business acumen but also a broader sense of community and contribution to society. Our participation in the EBV program will help our students, faculty, and alumni embrace this future model of business leadership.”

In addition to joining the EBV consortium, two other new initiatives have been announced by the business school. First, the consortium will launch a pilot program called the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families. This program will offer training in small business creation and management for select caregivers of veterans with disabilities. In addition, the EBV consortium has received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Veterans Business Development to help grow the EBV nationwide and maximize the availability, applicability, and usability of small business programs for veterans, service-disabled veterans, reserve component members, and their dependents or survivors.

Since 2001, more than 40,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have been wounded as a result of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, the number of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and other psychological challenges resulting from their service suggests the number of Americans disabled while supporting military operations since 9/11 has exceeded 200,000. For many of these Americans, traditional employment may represent a lifelong challenge. The EBV program is designed to provide veterans with the opportunity to pursue entrepreneurship and business ownership as ways to gain economic security for themselves and their families, re-engage with their communities, and take ownership of their future, while also offering the flexibility to accommodate the particular challenges associated with a service-connected disability.

Other members of the EBV consortium include the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the founding member; the Mays Business School at Texas A&M; UCLA’s Anderson School of Management; Florida State University’s College of Business; and the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University. The consortium represents one of the first significant partnerships since World War II among some of the country’s most prestigious business schools focused specifically on opening the doors of America’s colleges and universities to veterans motivated by business ownership.

For more information about the national EBV program or to apply, visit the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities website.