The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) has won the fifth annual CNY Best Learning and Performance Award in the not-for-profit segment from the CNY Chapter of the Society for Training & Development (ASTD). The award was given based on best practices for two educational programs from the institute’s portfolio of small business training, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families (EBV-F).
Both the EBV and EBV-F were founded at SU’s Whitman School of Management, in 2007 and 2010 respectively, and are operated under the auspices of the IVMF. Jared Lyon, EBV and EBV-F national program manager, accepted the CNY Best Award on the institute’s behalf.
The award recognizes excellence in learning and performance practices. Winners were evaluated on the effectiveness of their progress and demonstrated strategic growth and success. The judges believed that the EBV and EBV-F programs “highly enhanced the performance” of program graduates, post-9/11 veterans with service-connected disabilities (EBV) and military family members who now find themselves in a full-time caregiver role for a wounded warrior and/or surviving family members in a household where a loved one has lost their life in service to the country (EBV-F).
The IVMF operates a portfolio of educational programs that leverage the skills, resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to veterans and military families. The EBV and EBV-F open the door to economic opportunity for veterans and their families by developing their competencies in the many steps and activities associated with creating and sustaining an entrepreneurial venture.
