To honor military veterans who made sacrifices for the U.S., UF is turning the tables and making a few sacrifices for them.
The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is hosting the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program to help veterans with disabilities start businesses for free.
UF is partnering with Oklahoma State University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to bring the national program to Gainesville. It teaches veterans how to successfully launch and grow businesses, according to a news release.
Director Michael Morris said he has emotional ties to the program.
“With disabled veterans, they are a classic underserved and highly deserving segment of the population,” said Morris, an Air Force veteran.
Ronnie Davenport knows how difficult the transition from military to civilian life can be. Davenport, a 24-year-old UF business junior, has six years of service under his belt, including a tour in Iraq.
“All those veterans are so used to military service, and sometimes, that’s not the best way to run a business,” Davenport said. “A program like this could help them understand how to be successful in the civilian world.”
Applications can be found on the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s website and are due Feb. 28.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 2/19/2014 under the headline "Campus program to help veterans launch, grow businesses"]
