
Start up
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.
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.
Are you interested in becoming an entrepreneur?
Every journey is unique. Explore the opportunities that interest you.
In a virtual meeting today, the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees voted unanimously to freeze undergraduate tuition rates and all mandatory fees for all new and returning students for fiscal year 2020-2021.
The decision was made in an effort to support students and their families as many struggle with financial hardship caused by COVID-19.
"With added pressures from the effects of this pandemic, we made this decision to provide a level of stability and certainty to students and their families as they plan for the year ahead," said CMU President Bob Davies. "Freezing tuition rates allows us to continue to offer students a high-quality education at an affordable price."
Trustees have not yet set 2020-2021 graduate and doctoral tuition rates.
Review all 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition and fees
With this move, Central's cumulative tuition rate increase over the past decade is expected to remain the lowest in the state.
Davies noted that freezing tuition rates is just one of the ways CMU is providing financial relief, a sense of security and added stability for students and families during this difficult time. Another such effort is the deferment of fall 2020 student payments until Nov. 1.
"We have initiated deferred payment and flexible payment plans, and we are not assessing late fees that would prevent current students from enrolling this year in classes for future semesters," Davies said in his opening report to the board.
In other action, trustees also approved:
Davies opened his report to the board by addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing his gratitude to those who make it possible for CMU to remain open and mission-focused during the crisis, including the Emergency Management Team.
He once again thanked students, faculty, and staff for adapting to sudden, unexpected changes, having to learn and work remotely virtually overnight.
He also acknowledged the outstanding support of CMU's alumni and friends.
"Since the crisis began, our alumni and supporters have contributed more than $36,000 to the Student Emergency Fund to provide help for students who have been hardest hit," he said. "In the past month alone, we have distributed nearly $70,000 to students in need."
Davies also highlighted many ways that CMU faculty, staff and students are supporting communities throughout the state during the COVID-19 crisis, including creating masks for health care workers, volunteering at screening and testing sites, and helping teachers prepare for extended remote learning.
Additional accolades include:
Davies also acknowledged Scott Strong, director of internal audit, who retires this month, and General Counsel Manuel Rupe, who will become associate dean of legal affairs for CMU's College of Medicine July 1.
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.