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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.
Central Michigan International Film Festival returns in-person for 2022
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After being canceled last year due to COVID-19, the Central Michigan International Film Festival is back and in-person for 2022.
Gray Reynolds, pictured above, is the vice president of CMIFF and venue manager for the Opperman Auditorium at CMU. Reynolds and their passionate student team, help select the films, organize the festival, and staff the venues while working closely with broadcast and cinematic arts professor and CMIFF director, Patricia Williamson, to ensure the festival runs smoothly.
CMIFF is an annual, five-day community event organized and staffed by CMU students. The festival features films from around the globe in addition to supporting local filmmakers, Reynolds shared.
“It’s a way to support these creators, especially these smaller creators who are just getting started,” they said.
In addition to organizing the festival, Gray has always had an appreciation of cinema. From a young age, they created stop-motion films and their passion for filmmaking only grew from there. Reynolds is a lover of art and believes it is important to bring art to communities that may not otherwise have the opportunity.
“I think we have films that appeal to all kinds of people throughout the entire festival,” Reynolds said. “Film festivals are a great way for people unfamiliar with independent films to check them out.”
The festival is made possible because of volunteers, but the biggest challenge of the planning process each year is getting enough people excited to donate their time. This year especially, COVID 19 has complicated the volunteer process and opportunities are still available to those interested.
Despite their nerves, Reynolds is excited to see all their hard work pay off.
The festival began Wednesday, Feb. 16 and continues until Sunday, Feb. 20. There are four venues, two of which are on-campus: the Sarah and Daniel Opperman Auditorium in the Park Library, the Platform Theatre in Moore Hall room 102, the Broadway Theatre in downtown Mt. Pleasant, and Celebration Cinema Mt. Pleasant. Tickets are available for purchase for five dollars at the door.
For more information and to view the full film schedule, visit the Central Michigan International Film Festival website.
Signature Programs
Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Compete & Win
New Venture Challenge 2025
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Build your skills
Workshops and events
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Develop your ideas
IDEA Den
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Ready, Set, Pitch!
Make-A-Pitch 2024
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Meet Mentors
Mentorship and support
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Support students
Make an impact
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.
View our programming newsletter
Alumni give back to students through mentorship, real-world experiences
The Wakeling Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars program wrapped its first cohort this academic year.
Students compete to win cash prizes at the New Venture Challenge
Pitched 40 ventures at NMV Challenge, Friday, April 19, CMU. Judges awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.
Wakeling Gendron Scholars make a life-changing trip to Texas
Wakeling and Gendron Scholars attended SXSW in Texas, meeting industry leaders and gaining entrepreneurial insights.
Business barriers lead CMU students to a new venture
Justin Ashman and Philip Mundt won Central Michigan University's New Venture Competition with their 3-D printing operation, Form Further.
