Start up
Build up your venture idea.
Learn more
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.
CMU offers presidential election expertise
by
Sanjna Jassi
CMU faculty experts are available to provide media with insight into topics related to the 2020 presidential election.
Central Michigan University expert faculty are available to provide media with insight into topics related to the 2020 presidential election. Our experts can speak extensively about policy issues, the economy, voter rights, youth political participation, public opinion, race and politics, and many other topics. Here's an introduction:
Presidential election and related topics
J. Cherie Strachan
Co-founder and co-director of Consortium for Inter-Campus Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research
Strachan's publications address her concern over low levels of political engagement among specific demographic groups — particularly women and young people. These include the co-authored textbook, "Why Don't Women Rule the World," and a forthcoming youth-focused political behavior textbook. She can speak to U.S. politics, civil engagement, youth political participation, voting behavior, women and politics.
David Jesuit
Department chair and professor of political science and public administration
David Jesuit's research primarily focuses on social policy, income inequality and income redistribution in the U.S. and other affluent countries. He also explores how income inequality affects support for extreme-right political parties and trust in government, as well as foreign policy.
Kyla Stepp
Assistant professor, political science and public administration
Director, CMU Pre-Law Center
Kyla Stepp's expertise lies primarily with the legal aspects of politics, including the courts and constitutional law. Her research interests also include public opinion and polarization, race and gender issues, and criminal justice law and reform.
Sterling Johnson
Professor, political science and public administration
Sterling Johnson specializes in American politics and policy, as well as African-American and urban politics. He can speak on voter turnout, voter suppression, the presidential campaign, race and inequality.
Economy
Alexander Maslov
Faculty member, economics
Alexander Maslov's research interests are microeconomics, industrial organization, competition policy and institutional economics with a particular emphasis on e-commerce and online consumer-to-consumer markets. He can address economic issues in politics, including the impact of the election on the economy and beyond.
Health care and minorities
Elbert Almazan
Professor, sociology
Elbert Almazan's research interests include examining the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer populations. He can speak to how current health care policy affects the LGBTQ community, including the impact of the election on LGBTQ health care.
Presidential debates
Edward Hinck
Department chair and professor of communication
Ed Hinck is the editor of "Televised Presidential Debates in a Changing Media Environment," a two-volume set that examines presidential and vice presidential debates, how citizens make sense of these events in new media, and whether the evolution of these forms of consumption is healthy for future presidential campaigns and democracy. He also is coauthor of a book titled "Politeness in Presidential Debates. Hinck is a former debate coach and was director of CMU's forensics program for 25 years. He teaches courses in advocacy, leadership, rhetorical criticism and communication theory.
Shelly Hinck
Professor of communication
Shelly Hinck's research interests include civic engagement, political debates, service learning and leadership. Her work has appeared in Argumentation & Advocacy, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Sex Roles, and the American Behavioral Scientist. She also is coauthor of a book titled "Politeness in Presidential Debates.
Lesley Withers
Professor of communication
Lesley Withers studies connections between the self and others, especially the emotional connections between people and the behaviors that threaten those connections. She can address the meaning of nonverbal communications by speakers and listeners and has analyzed the nonverbal communication patterns of presidential and vice presidential debate participants since 2004.
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.
