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Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
We empower entrepreneurial thinkers—whether you’re launching a venture, building a family business, creating social impact, or driving innovation inside an organization. Turn ideas into action.
Start your entrepreneurial journey
At Central Michigan University, the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship is more than a program—it’s where students from every major turn ideas into real impact. As Michigan’s first Department of Entrepreneurship, we’re a hub for hands-on learning, innovation, and mentorship.
Here, you’ll:
- Build an entrepreneurial mindset that sets you apart in any career path—launching ventures, shaping social missions, advancing family businesses, or driving innovation inside established companies.
- Collaborate across disciplines to create projects that matter.
- Learn from alumni, faculty, and industry leaders who’ve built their own paths.
- Gain real-world experience through workshops, hackathons, and pitch competitions.
- Compete in the New Venture Challenge, where students win up to $10,000 in cash and grants to grow their ideas.
Whether you want to start something new or transform what already exists, the Institute is your launchpad.
Take the next step!
When you’re ready to get started, stop by Grawn 164 to join the team or visit the Idea Den in Grawn 166—your space to brainstorm, build, and take the next step.
Questions?
In his report Tuesday, April 23, to Central Michigan University's Academic Senate, President Bob Davies announced the appointment of two faculty members to the university's Administrative Fellows Program.
Luis Perez-Batres, from the College of Business Administration, was appointed as a senior administrative fellow. Nicole Sparling Barco, from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, was named an associate administrative fellow.
Through the program, now in its fourth year after a hiatus in 2018-19, faculty fellows explore administrative leadership within the university. They attend formal training and complete an independent project of their choosing with guidance and mentoring from university leaders, including the president, provost and senior administrators.
While the goal of the program is to develop the fellows' administrative leadership skills, many participants find it also increases their effectiveness in their current positions.
Luis Perez-Batres
Luis Perez-Batres joined CMU's College of Business Administration in 2007, teaching courses in strategic management, supply
chain management and international business. He was appointed chair of the management department in 2015 and is serving his second consecutive three-year term in the role.
In 2018, Perez-Batres completed CMU's Leadership Excellence training and also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Management Development Program. He is a founding member of CMU's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and has served on a number of other committees and councils including the university's strategic planning committee, Academic Senate, search committees and his college's Dean's Advisory Council. He has authored or contributed to a number of scholarly articles, book chapters and other academic publications and currently serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of World Business.
Nicole Sparling Barco
Nicole Sparling Barco began teaching courses at CMU in 2009. She currently serves as director of the cultural and global studies program at CMU and previously served as chair of the English language and literature department.
She also held roles as both graduate coordinator for the department and as interim director of the women and gender studies program.
Barco completed CMU's Leadership Standards training and attended a seminar for department chairs at the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. She has served on a variety of committees and councils at the department, college and university levels and also is the faculty advisor for Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society. Barco has given presentations at a number of professional conferences and meetings and has published scholarly articles, book chapters and reviews. She is an editorial board member for Humanities, a professional journal, and the Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences.