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Build up your venture idea.
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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.
Search begins for Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
by
Erica Peters
Central Michigan University Provost and Executive Vice President Nancy E. Mathews has announced the internal search for the university’s next senior vice provost for academic affairs, a key leadership position in the Academic Division, and a member of the Provost’s Advisory Council.
Jefferson Campbell, dean of the College of the Arts and Media, will serve as the search committee chair and will engage the following search committee members:
- Kendra Brown, Manager of Events & Communications, Curriculum & Instructional Support.
- Elizabeth Daum, Director, Advising Student Services, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
- Megan Goodwin, Associate Dean, College of Education and Human Services.
- Nizar Hussein, Faculty member and Internship Director, Department of Marketing, Hospitality and Logistics, College of Business Administration.
- Jennifer Laubenthal, Assessment Coordinator, College of Science and Engineering
- Blaine Long, Representative Chair of the School of Rehabilitation and Medical Sciences, and Professor of the Athletic Training Program, College of Health Professions.
- Erica Peters, Executive Assistant to the Provost, administrative support.
- Cathy Willermet, Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Anthropology, and Religion, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
- Tyler Zimmerman, President of the Student Government Association.
The senior vice provost for academic affairs provides leadership for several areas including the Offices of Curriculum and Instructional Support, Student Success and Academic Advising, Study Abroad, the Honors Program, the National Scholarship Program, and the Academic Planning Council.
“The senior vice provost for academic affairs plays an important role in ensuring academic quality and excellence for the institution. I am particularly excited as we prepare for the reaffirmation of accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission and the implementation of the university’s Academic Vision and Plan”, Provost Mathews said.
Dr. David Patton currently serves as the interim senior vice provost for academic affairs, a role that he has held since November 2021.
Signature Programs
Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Compete & Win
New Venture Challenge 2025
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Build your skills
Workshops and events
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Develop your ideas
IDEA Den
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Ready, Set, Pitch!
Make-A-Pitch 2024
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Meet Mentors
Mentorship and support
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Support students
Make an impact
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.
View our programming newsletter
Alumni give back to students through mentorship, real-world experiences
The Wakeling Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars program wrapped its first cohort this academic year.
Students compete to win cash prizes at the New Venture Challenge
Pitched 40 ventures at NMV Challenge, Friday, April 19, CMU. Judges awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.
Wakeling Gendron Scholars make a life-changing trip to Texas
Wakeling and Gendron Scholars attended SXSW in Texas, meeting industry leaders and gaining entrepreneurial insights.
Business barriers lead CMU students to a new venture
Justin Ashman and Philip Mundt won Central Michigan University's New Venture Competition with their 3-D printing operation, Form Further.
