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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.

      New AVP for CMU Innovation and Online

      by User Not Found
      Interim Provost Richard Rothaus this week announced the appointment of Kaleb Patrick to serve as associate vice president of Central Michigan University Innovation and Online, effective July 18. 

      In this role, Patrick will work with Betty Kirby, recently appointed as vice president of Innovation and Online, to guide the newly reorganized unit, formerly known as Global Campus. Responsibilities of the new position include expansion of existing online and off-campus programs, as well as the development and implementation of new programs for delivery beyond CMU’s Mount Pleasant campus. 

      “Kaleb has grown his career at Central Michigan University, and I have had many chances to learn from him,” Rothaus said. “I am excited to see him in a leadership role where he can put his full knowledge and energy to use for CMU and the communities we serve.”

      Since fall 2018, Patrick has been interim director and chairperson of CMU’s Master of Science in Administration program, collaborating with deans, department chairs, faculty and staff to deliver interdisciplinary MSA concentrations on campus, online and through CMU’s satellite locations. In this capacity, Patrick also worked with corporate partners to develop professional development opportunities and developed alternative learning pathways to increase enrollment in credit and non-credit programs.

      At the same time, Patrick served as academic program director for the Master of Arts in Education and as a member of faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership.

      His previous roles include director of graduate programs for Global Campus, leadership roles in marketing for online, international and non-credit programs, and coordinator of marketing for Michigan, Ohio and online programs.

      Patrick is a three-time CMU graduate; he earned a doctorate in educational leadership, specialist in general educational administration and master’s degree in humanities. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from Ferris State University.   

       “This is a very exciting time in higher education and a very exciting time for CMU,” Patrick said. “For over 50 years, CMU has been a leader in developing innovative academic programs and delivering learning experiences in innovative ways. It is inspiring to serve in a unit embracing CMU’s innovative spirit which is future-oriented, inclusive and, most importantly, student-centered.”

      A committee of faculty, staff and administrators led an internal search for the new associate vice president position. The name for the new unit, CMU Innovation and Online, was approved by the CMU Board of Trustees at its June meeting, and funding for its operation comes from resources reallocated from previous Global Campus programs. 

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