Florida State University’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship has graduated the first cohort of its Veteran Entrepreneurship Certificate Program in Leon County, with 14 veterans completing the Facilitated Business Modeling Program.

Delivered in partnership with State of Florida nonprofit Veterans Florida, the free program is designed to help participants move from business ideas to actionable business models through practical instruction in customer discovery, market validation and entrepreneurial decision making. The six-week program combined interactive workshops, mentoring and applied exercises focused on helping participants evaluate and strengthen their business concepts.

“Veterans bring an incredible combination of resilience, leadership and adaptability to entrepreneurship,” said Eric Liguori, associate dean for research and external relations in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, who led the program. “What made this cohort especially exciting was watching participants build confidence in their ideas while also building a strong community around one another.”

Participants represented a range of entrepreneurial interests and business development, from early-stage concepts to existing ventures seeking growth and refinement. Throughout the program, participants worked through business modeling activities, explored customer validation strategies and connected with local entrepreneurial resources. In doing so, they learned directly from multiple FSU faculty, including Susana Santos, Bill Lickson, Juliana Binhote, Doug Tatum, and Melissa Roberts, bringing expertise spanning entrepreneurship education, venture growth, finance and innovation and small business development.

Feedback from participants highlighted the practical nature of the program and the value of learning alongside fellow veterans. They praised the program’s open-forum format, its ability to clearly teach how to run a business and how it allowed each attendee to naturally network.

Program organizers said participants consistently pointed to the program’s hands-on approach, real-world applicability and supportive learning environment as key strengths. Several participants also noted that the experience helped them better understand how to refine business ideas, identify customer needs and think strategically about long-term growth.

“This partnership with Veterans Florida reflects the kind of community-centered impact happening every day in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship,” said Susan Fiorito, dean of the college. “We are proud to support veterans and military-connected families as they pursue entrepreneurial opportunities that can create lasting economic and community impact across Florida.”

“This partnership with Veterans Florida reflects the kind of community-centered impact happening every day in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.”

– Susan Fiorito, dean of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship

Graduates received a certificate of completion from the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and are now eligible to join the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship’s statewide alumni network of more than 2,700 Florida business owners.

This program builds on FSU’s longstanding commitment to supporting veterans, service members and military-connected families through entrepreneurship education, workforce development and community engagement initiatives.

For more information about veteran entrepreneurship programming at FSU, visit the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship website.

About Veterans Florida

Veterans Florida is a state-created and funded nonprofit organization. We provide free career, SkillBridge, and entrepreneurship training and opportunities for separating or retiring servicemembers, veterans, and their spouses residing in or moving to Florida. We also assist employers seeking to strengthen their workforce with military talent. For more information, please visit www.veteransflorida.org.

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From education to employment, many veterans are proving their disciplined military training translates to quality performances in college and the workforce.

A national report on the academic success of student veterans using the post-9/11 GI Bill confirms that a large percentage of student veterans are achieving high GPAs and excelling in many majors.

Data from a 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report highlight the unemployment rate for all veterans at just 2.8%. The Postsecondary National Policy Institute long-term study also shows that 73.7% of veteran graduates reported owning a home and 87.3% having a retirement account, both on par with the general population.

While many veterans continue their fast track toward success, barriers persist. The readjustment period toward education and employment can be a difficult time for veteran retirees who served several years in the military. Other issues remain, including mental health reasons or competition with other job candidates who have a longer history in the workforce.

However, many of the obstacles faced by veterans are outweighed by their inherent intangibles developed in military training — a variety of skills sought by employers.

William “Billy” Francis is a retired Air Force fighter jet pilot and commander with 26 years of service. He is the founding director of FSU’s Student Veterans Center, a national leader in supporting student veterans and ensuring their success.

Under Francis’ leadership and FSU’s commitment, the SVC has made a college degree more accessible for veterans and increased FSU’s veteran graduate rates by more than 15%.

Francis may be contacted by reporters via email.

William “Billy” Francis, Director, Student Veterans Center
Email: wfrancis@fsu.edu

Quote from William “Billy” Francis:

What are some of the skills that many veterans provide to the workforce?
“Veterans are situationally aware decision-makers who influence others and outcomes. They help achieve what would not have been achieved without their influence. Some of the skills they possess include being good decision-makers, having self-discipline, strong self-control and are trustworthy influencers.”

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Florida State University is hosting four academic fellows from Ukraine for a monthlong visit through the BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program (BridgeUSA UAFP). FSU is the first university in the United States to host fellows through the program.

The fellows will work with faculty mentors at FSU to develop individualized, collaborative programs that meet their specific needs as researchers and educators seeking to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to rebuild. The program runs June 25 through July 25.

Their visit marks another significant move by FSU’s Ukraine Task Force (UTF), which continues to forge partnerships between FSU and Ukrainian scholars and educate the FSU community about Ukraine. The task force was established in 2022 and falls under the Learning Systems Institute (LSI) at FSU.

“It is easy for us to forget the trauma and challenges of war,” said Vilma Fuentes, program director of FSU’s UTF. “We are spectators, looking at this tragedy unfold from afar. Having the ability to speak to Ukrainians who are fighting for freedom and independence against all odds is a humbling experience. It is a privilege to stand by their side and express our support and collaboration.”

The BridgeUSA UAFP builds links between Ukrainian and U.S. scholars for long-term collaboration in areas like joint research, shared pedagogy, course development and publication. The program’s long-term goal is to help Ukrainian universities educate and train professionals critical to the country’s recovery and reconstruction through lasting, productive collaboration with U.S. institutions of higher education.

The four 2024 BridgeUSA UAFP Fellows hosted by FSU are Taras Panchenko, Andrii Balandr, Andrii Roskladka and Natalia Safonova.

Panchenko is the head of the computer science department at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv, Ukraine. His scientific interests include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, computer science and information technologies. During his visit to FSU, Panchenko is looking forward to collaborating with Information Technology Services at FSU and learning more about drone assisted damage assessment.

“I hope we will be able to share our teaching experience during the lectures with students, and also we can help our American colleagues understand how to survive in such a hard situation as Ukraine lives now — without electricity, internet, under missile attacks — while trying not to lose the quality of education,” Panchenko said.

Balandr is the head of the Language Training and Testing Center at Bhodan Khmelnytskyy National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine in Khmelnytskyi. A colonel deployed to active combat in Eastern Ukraine in 2023, Balandr wants to develop a textbook for Ukranian border guards using content-based English instruction.

“I’m here to gain as much as possible from the leading higher education American experience,” Balandr said. “I’m mostly interested in the work of LSI and their many years of experience creating and designing educational curriculum through methodological provision; we are going to adapt and tailor the acquired experience to the needs of the target population in Ukraine.”

Roskladka is the head of the Digital Economy and Systems Analysis Department at the State University of Trade and Economics in Kyiv, Ukraine. With a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, he wants to improve the quality and security of online education in Ukraine. His academic areas of interest include data analytics, business analytics, business intelligence tools and mathematical modeling.

“During the next month, I want to get information about the training of students in the U.S. and learn new approaches for teaching students, organizing education, and scientific works while also sharing my scientific experience with American students,” Rokalda said. “I’m excited about the exchange of experiences with colleagues regarding joint-development of new programs and courses and joint-publication of scientific articles.”

Safonova is a professor in the Department of English Philology at Oles Honchar Dnipro National University in Dnipro, Ukraine. A teacher of English and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), she looks forward to learning innovative pedagogical techniques from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at FSU to improve curriculum and syllabi for teacher preparation and incorporate social and emotional learning into her classes.

“I am interested in developing teaching methods of English in connection with English and Ukranian literature and culture,” Safonova said. “I would like to create interest in Ukranian culture and literature with the professors of FSU that I will be working with. We could have some joint research about the influence of Ukranian/English literature and teaching English in a multicultural context, particularly teaching in emergencies as is the experience in Ukraine.”

Throughout their month-long stay at FSU, the BridgeUSA UAFP fellows will participate in International Coffee Hour, the Center for Global Engagement’s (CGE) signature social event, at 5 p.m. Friday, July 12, at The Globe. The fellows will also participate in a panel discussion hosted by the CGE at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at The Globe Auditorium.

“I am extremely excited by the welcomeness of Vilma (Fuentes) and the Ukrainian Task Force,” Panchenko said. “The effort her and her colleagues put into our group, to support us and help us in any way, is just unbelievable. The openness of people and the huge attention has been so good; they really would like to help us and to improve our communications during our stay at the university.”

The BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with additional funding provided by U.S. host institutions. The program is administered by the American Councils for International Education.

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When the Student Veterans Center (SVC) opened its doors 12 years ago, Director Billy Francis envisioned Florida State University becoming the most veteran-friendly and empowering campus in the country.

Fast forward to today, and the SVC has established itself and the veteran community as an integral part of FSU, with more than 20,000 military-connected students served and counting.

This past weekend, FSU held its annual Military Appreciation Football Game. Student veterans were recognized on the field, photos of veterans were shared on the video boards during the game and three paratroopers from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa descended onto the field before the game.

“The special energy the Military Appreciation Game generates really encapsulates the positive vibe Florida State aims for in its support of veterans and military students,” Francis said. “FSU Athletics does such a great job making veterans feel connected to and even a special part of the university community.”

PHOTO GALLERY

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Florida State University and the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship hosted 16 military veterans last week as part of its 2023 Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans – Accelerate (EBV-Accelerate) program.  

The EBV-Accelerate program is designed to take advantage of the skills, resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management.  

Participants traveled from Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Washington, D.C. 

Danny Portee, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based employment agency, Professional Management Enterprises Inc., said the training helped align his business goals with the best strategies to achieve them. 

“The EBV-Accelerate program was both comprehensive and interactive,” Portee said. “We experienced exceptional practical application of new concepts through expert executive coaching and peer-to-peer strategy sessions.” 

 EBV-Accelerate is a three-phase program that gives military veterans entrepreneurs tools and coaching to propel their business toward sustainable growth. Workshop topics included growth strategy, human resource management, sales and customer acquisition, determining a sustainable growth rate, managing cash flow and more. 

Attendees completed a three-week online program focused on business analysis before traveling to Tallahassee for a weeklong residency. The cohort spent three days in workshops and heard from industry experts about strategies to grow and scale their companies. The week ended with each participant creating a personalized action plan to implement for their business.   

 “We were thrilled to host another fantastic cohort of veteran business owners,” said Melissa Roberts, director of national programs at the Jim Moran Institute. “This impactful and informative program provides successful entrepreneurs with the leadership skills, strategic development and educational resources needed to propel their businesses to the next level.”   

 The EBV-Accelerate program was launched in 2018 through a long-standing partnership between the Jim Moran Institute and the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University. 

 Thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation, lodging and meals are provided for the EBV-Accelerate program at no cost to participants. Additional support for the program was provided by the FSU Student Veterans Center, and meals for the week were sponsored by Black Fig, Dave’s Pizza Garage, Maria Maria Homemade Mexican Cuisine, Metro Deli and Mission BBQ.  

 For more information, visit EBV-Accelerate. 

About the Jim Moran Institute 
The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship cultivates, trains and inspires entrepreneurial leaders through world-class executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research. Jim Moran started his business career in Chicago selling soda pop at sandlot baseball games at the age of seven and went on to become one of America’s most successful business owners.  

A 1995 contribution from Jim and Jan Moran and JM Family Enterprises established the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at the Florida State University College of Business to help others become successful entrepreneurs. Since 2011, further enhancements to the Jim Moran Institute and its outreach have been made possible by Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation.  

For more information, visit www.jimmoraninstitute.fsu.edu.

About the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans & Military Families
The IVMF at Syracuse University is higher education’s first interdisciplinary academic institute, singularly focused on advancing the post-service lives of the nation’s military veterans and their families to serve those who have served. 

For more information, visit www.ivmf.syracuse.edu. 

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