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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.

      Trustees to receive enrollment update, approve graduates

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      The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will receive an update on CMU’s enrollment efforts when it meets at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

      President Bob Davies will discuss current projections and efforts underway, and also will provide a look back on the accomplishments of students, faculty and staff during the spring semester. The board also will approve 2,509 May graduates, and approve emeritus status for long-serving faculty and staff. 

      Thursday’s formal session will be open to the public with both in-person and virtual viewing options.  Wednesday’s committee meetings also are open to the university community and general public virtually or with in-person seating for up to 25 individuals in the Lake Superior Room.  Livestream links for both meetings are located on the Board of Trustees Schedule of Meetings webpage. 

      Highlights of the committee meetings include:
      • Academic and Student Affairs Committee: Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president of Student Recruitment and Retention, and James Span, executive director of Student Inclusion and Diversity, will provide an update on the CMU Mentor Collective program. Betty Kirby, interim dean of the College of the Arts and Media, and Ernie Bedford, executive director of Global Campus Enterprise, will present an update on innovation and online learning.
      • Finance and Facilities Committee: Nick Long, vice president and chief financial officer, and Jonathan Webb, associate vice president facilities management, will provide a summer construction update, as well as an update on the Washington Commons project.
      • Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee: Trustees will hear a presentation on the New Venture Challenge from Julie Messing, director of the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship, and David Nows, entrepreneurship department chair. Faculty members Greg Smith, history, and Tracy Davis, English, will also participate in a conversation regarding components of the faculty workload.  
      • Trustees-Student Liaison Committee: Trustees will meet with outgoing Student Government Association leaders Kate King and Dylan Baker, as well as incoming SGA leaders Taylor Idema and Natalie Brant. Students Skylar Conran and Addison Hoekstra will provide updates on Program Board and Residence Housing Association, respectively.
      Full agendas for the committee meetings and formal session are available on the Board of Trustees webpage.

      Individuals who wish to address the Board of Trustees during the public comment period may do so by submitting a request in advance of the meeting. Individuals may complete the online form, “request to address the board,” or visit the Office of the President to complete a request card. Public comments will be delivered in the order they were received by the Board Secretary. The policy governing public comment is included in Article IX on page 13 of the Board of Trustees bylaws.

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