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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.

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      Every journey is unique. Explore the opportunities that interest you.

      Honors student named CMU’s first Udall Scholar

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      Central Michigan University student Eric Urbaniak has been selected as the university’s first Udall Scholar.

      The Udall Scholarship is a highly competitive and selective award, and is presented to college sophomores and juniors who exemplify leadership, dedication to public service, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations and/or the environment.

      Eric Urbaniak HeadshotUrbaniak, a third-year student from Bay City, Michigan, has been a campus leader in efforts to improve sustainability at CMU, in the local community and beyond. In addition to pursuing a double-major in biology with a concentration in ecology, evolution and conservation and public and nonprofit administration, he is a Centralis Scholar and holds leadership roles in a number of campus and community organizations. 

      In 2020, Urbaniak partnered with fellow student leader Teresa Homsi to launch Central Sustainability, a student-led initiative aimed at promoting sustainability on campus. They meet regularly with registered student organizations and various university division offices to discuss opportunities and challenges. With support from the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Facilities Management, the College of Science and Engineering, and the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Central Sustainability has been recognized nationally for their efforts to advance sustainability in higher education and was responsible for CMU’s “Partner of the Year” award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

      “I advocate for the protection of the environment so that all people have a healthy and peaceful world to grow with and enjoy,” Urbaniak said. “Through education and community building, I hope to create a waste-free world that prioritizes sustainability and environmental care.”

      In addition to his efforts on campus, Urbaniak also partnered with students from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal College on a project to reduce food waste. And, in 2021, he and Homsi worked with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe to develop the Three Sisters Garden on campus, an ethnobotanical garden featuring plants significant to local Indigenous people. 

      Urbaniak said he received tremendous support from many individuals, including Facilities Management staff members Jay Kahn, Donald Long and Jonathan Webb, and faculty members Matthew Liesch, geography and environmental studies; Rebecca Uzarski, biology; and Emma Powell, political science and public administration. 

      “Most of all, I would like to thank fellow student, coworker, and friend Teresa Homsi for her contributions to the sustainability culture in Mt. Pleasant and in our community,” he said.

      The Udall Scholarship is one of several prestigious scholarships available to CMU students. Urbaniak said he received assistance from Maureen Harke, director of the National Scholarship Program Office, to complete the award process. 

      Urbaniak is one of only 55 students selected as an Udall Scholar, and will receive both a financial scholarship and opportunities to further develop his leadership and pursue his interest in environmental issues. 

      “I hope that my work will inspire individuals to make conscious decisions about their environmental waste, and encourage them to take actions that will build community around them,” he said. “We have all the tools to pursue a more sustainable community, and just need to apply them to continue positively impacting people and the planet.”

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