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Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
We empower entrepreneurial thinkers—whether you’re launching a venture, building a family business, creating social impact, or driving innovation inside an organization. Turn ideas into action.
Start your entrepreneurial journey
At Central Michigan University, the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship is more than a program—it’s where students from every major turn ideas into real impact. As Michigan’s first Department of Entrepreneurship, we’re a hub for hands-on learning, innovation, and mentorship.
Here, you’ll:
- Build an entrepreneurial mindset that sets you apart in any career path—launching ventures, shaping social missions, advancing family businesses, or driving innovation inside established companies.
- Collaborate across disciplines to create projects that matter.
- Learn from alumni, faculty, and industry leaders who’ve built their own paths.
- Gain real-world experience through workshops, hackathons, and pitch competitions.
- Compete in the New Venture Challenge, where students win up to $10,000 in cash and grants to grow their ideas.
Whether you want to start something new or transform what already exists, the Institute is your launchpad.
Take the next step!
When you’re ready to get started, stop by Grawn 164 to join the team or visit the Idea Den in Grawn 166—your space to brainstorm, build, and take the next step.
Questions?
CMU Alumna Marybeth Minnis (BME '79), the Assistant Director of the School of Music and Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Central Michigan University, has been honored by the Mid-American Conference as CMU's winner of the Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success.
Minnis has been Principal Bassoonist of the Saginaw Bay Orchestra since 1985 and frequently performs with other area orchestras. An active chamber musician, she performs and tours with the Powers Woodwind Quintet.
Professor Minnis has performed and/or presented at several International Double Reed Society conferences, TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association), the Michigan Music Conference, regional CBDNA Conferences, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago.
She received degrees from Central Michigan University (BME) and the University of Michigan (Masters in Bassoon Performance). Her teachers include Lewis Hugh Cooper and Robert Barris.
The Mid-American Conference Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success is given out to recognize the outstanding efforts of MAC faculty to support and develop students both inside and outside of the classroom.
This student-focused award is distinguishable from academic or research-based awards as it celebrates the commitment of the MAC to a holistic student experience and the creation of an environment that supports success in school and life.
Eligibility for this award is broad to identify a wide range of outstanding means by which faculty are significantly impacting students, and to create an opportunity to recognize the various ways that student success is supported within the MAC.
It is the hope of this award that the twelve nominees represent a diverse community that demonstrates support for student success throughout their entire collegiate experience.