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Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

We are a dedicated institute for student entrepreneurs across campus and beyond. We aim to maximize your success by fostering your entrepreneurial mindset, promote inter-disciplinary collaboration and provide support for the creation and development of your new ventures. Jumpstart your ideas and get involved today!

Tune in for excitement!

Passion. Potential. Pitches. Don't miss any of the 2025 New Venture Challenge excitement.

Tune in Friday, April 11 at 1 p.m. for great ideas and fierce competition. Then, join the judges, mentors, spectators and teams as they see who is going home with thousands of dollars in venture financing. The awards broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. and one team will walk away as the overall best venture. 

Start your entrepreneurial journey

Central Michigan University’s College of Business Administration is the home of the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship and the first Department of Entrepreneurship in the state of Michigan. We are a student-centric hub where experiential, curricular, and external entrepreneurial opportunities intersect.

Our mission is to maximize student success by fostering a campus-wide entrepreneurial mindset that promotes inter-disciplinary collaboration and the creation of new ventures.

We aim to create innovative programming, boost cross-campus and ecosystem collaboration and provide a comprehensive mentoring program.

Our institute provides extracurricular opportunities and is open to all undergraduate and graduate CMU students.

Student opportunities

  • Meet experienced alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors, and other business and political leaders.
  • Learn practical skills, innovative thinking, and connect with mentors and entrepreneurial resources.
  • Attend skill-building workshops and compete in pitch competitions and Hackathons.
  • Take part in special scholarship programs and travel experiences.
  • Pitch your venture at our signature New Venture Challenge event and compete for up to $20,000 in cash awards.

      Find your path

      Are you interested in becoming an entrepreneur?

      Every journey is unique. Explore the opportunities that interest you.

      Announcing the 2023 National Alumni Awards recipients

      by Jason Fielder

      The National Alumni Awards are the highest honors presented by the CMU Alumni Association. These awards are given to those who have made significant achievements professionally and within their communities. Award recipients are nominated annually and selected by alumni, faculty, and friends of the university because of their strong connection and affinity for Central Michigan University. 

      The CMU Alumni Association is extremely proud to recognize the following people for the 2023 National Alumni Awards:  

      Distinguished Alumni Award: Robert “Bob” Oros ’90 

      Bob Oros smiling for a professional headshot, while wearing glasses and a button up shirt with a suit jacket.As the chairman and CEO of Hightower Advisors in Chicago, Robert “Bob” Oros uses his bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from CMU to help recruit, retain, and support financial advisors. He is active in the community, particularly in the areas of mental health and financial literacy and education. Bob chairs the board of the Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago and is a board member of EEqual, providing advocacy and support to students experiencing homelessness. 

       

       


       

      Dick Enberg Alumni Commitment Award: The McGuirk Family

      This is a family photo of four individuals. Two are seated in chairs in the first row; a woman to the left and a man to the right. In the back row, there are two standing men.The McGuirk family through the efforts of Jim McGuirk as well as Leroy & Ginger McGuirk has a generational tradition of commitment to supporting CMU. Lifelong Mount Pleasant resident Jim McGuirk built the city’s largest provider of student housing, and with a lead gift in his family’s name, the university’s basketball facility was renamed McGuirk Arena in 2010. 

      Jim along with his niece Sandy Dean and nephews Rick and Chuck McGuirk, pictured, have proudly continued that legacy of philanthropy. 

      Rick McGuirk and his wife Julie are proud CMU Graduates of 1995 and just 10 years after graduating Rick joined CMU’s Advancement Board and served on the national campaign steering committee for the Fired Up for Excellence campaign. Chuck McGuirk shares his knowledge of contracting and construction — as well as in-kind gifts — for projects focused on athletics and improving the fan experience. And Sandy, Rick, and Chuck oversee the family’s gifts of land and funding to benefit athletics, the ROTC, and the United Apartments McGuirk Family Scholarship which was established in 2018 to benefit CMU students. In addition, the McGuirk Family of Companies has sponsored several Registered Student Organizations and community events hosted by CMU.  

       

       

      Honorary Alumni Award: Vicki Loss Lautzenheiser 

      This is a photo of Vicki Lautzenheiser with a black top and earrings.For more than 30 years, Vicki Loss Lautzenheiser has treated CMU as her adopted alma mater. 

      In 2020, she and her husband Dennis gave the university a $100,000 gift for the Chippewa Champions Center, and the fueling station there was named in their honor. Vicki was instrumental in this philanthropic decision. 

      Additionally, she and Dennis established a scholarship at Northwest High School in honor of their two sons. The graduating senior must attend CMU or WMU (their younger son’s Alma Mater). To date, all recipients have chosen to attend CMU.  

       

       

       

      Alumni Service Recognition Award: Daniel Stoudt ’70 

      Dan Stoudt, the awardee of the Alumni Service Recognition Award, wearing a suit and tie.Dan Stoudt puts his MBA from CMU to work as senior vice president at First Community Bank in Traverse City. He works with a wide range of clients for any commercial banking needs, from manufacturing and medical to real estate investment and hospitality. 

      Dan was one of the founders of CMU’s Grand Traverse Scholarship Golf Outing. The annual golf event, marking its 35th year this summer, has awarded more than 135 students with over $295,000 in CMU scholarships. 

       

       

       

       

      Future Alumni Leader Award: Tyler Zimmerman ’24 

      Tyler Zimmerman poses for a headshot photo with a suit and red tie.Tyler Zimmerman is a Leadership Advancement Scholar, a Maroon & Gold Scholarship recipient working toward a degree in environmental health and safety with a minor in leadership, graduating in December 2024.  

      Throughout his time at CMU, Tyler has been active in the campus community. He is currently the President of the Student Government Association, Senator on the Academic Senate, Chaplain for the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, former president of the Refugee Outreach Collective, and has been a member of the Leadership Safari Core Staff and served as a Leadership Safari Guide. 

       

       

       

      Please join us in congratulating the Central Michigan University 2023 National Alumni Award winners! To see all previous award winners, please click here.

      Written by: Robin Miner-Swartz

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