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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.

      CMU’s Certificate Receives Prestigious Accreditation

      by Kathleen Hodgkins

      MOUNT PLEASANT, MI (Aug. 24, 2022) — The International Dyslexia Association has accredited Central Michigan University’s Structured Language and Literacy Intervention Certificate. CMU has the only program in the state of Michigan to have achieved this status.

      Katie Squires, Ph.D, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, who took a lead role in developing this certificate and shepherding it through the accreditation process, said this certificate is much needed to train those in the schools who work with children who have difficulty in learning to read.

      “I’m thrilled that educators and speech-language pathologists can learn more about the best practices in meeting the literacy needs of students,” said Dr. Squires, who is a professor of speech-language pathology at Central Michigan University. “Over half of third-grade students in Michigan failed the state’s annual literacy exam. This is unacceptable. We know what works, and we need to get this information in the hands of people who can change these numbers.”

      This 18-credit certificate is being offered in joint partnership between the university’s Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

      Classes begin this fall and are offered on campus. Find out more by visiting Structured Language and Literacy Intervention webpage or emailing Dr. Katie Squires at Katie.Squires@cmich.edu

       

       

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