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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.

      Anja Mueller, a chemistry professor at Central Michigan University, noticed a bit of a snag in her classes. Some students seemed like they were zoning out, leading to not-so-great grades and some no-shows. But instead of shrugging it off, Anja decided to shake things up a bit.

      Teaming up with CMU colleagues who were already involved in the new InSciTE program – folks like Wiline Pangle, Mark Francek, Itzel Marquez, Doug Lapp, and Shasta Sabo – she aimed to make her classes a place where everyone felt valued.

      Now, what's this InSciTE program all about for faculty? Well, in one way it's like a community of educators that model inclusive teaching methods. InSciTE provides a support system for all faculty that may want to try out new techniques to make STEM education more inclusive – InSciTE offers workshops, training on equity, professional development retreats. The result is a community where every student’s voice matters.

      Mueller's teaching game plan? Being super inclusive and tuned in. She made sure to embrace her students' diverse backgrounds and tailor her teaching to fit their needs. With active participation, group projects, and flexible assessments, she created an environment where everyone felt included. And she wasn't stopping there – Anja was all about learning her students' names, beefing up communication, and adding diverse perspectives into the mix.

      And guess what? Mueller's efforts paid off big time. By ditching the old-school lectures and diving into interactive learning, her students’ grades were improving, and they were actually remembering what they learned. Amped up by her success, Anja is determined to keep fine-tuning her teaching style, ensuring every student felt like they matter when they left her class.

      Source: Robert Wang

      Media Contact: Robert Wang

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