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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.

      Dates set for College of Medicine leadership transition

      by Ari Harris

      Last month, Central Michigan University College of Medicine Dean Dr. George Kikano shared his plans to step away from his leadership role with CMU President Neil MacKinnon, Provost Paula Lancaster, and the Board of Trustees.

      This week, Dr. Kikano and President MacKinnon provided an update on the college's leadership transition plan. Effective immediately, Dr. Kikano will step down from his position as executive vice president for health affairs at the university and from his role as dean on May 15, following the College of Medicine’s Spring commencement ceremony. 

      “It was 10 years ago this month that I joined Central Michigan University. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together,” Dr. Kikano said in a letter to students, faculty and staff in the College of Medicine. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to each of you for your dedication, support and hard work over the years. Our collective efforts have made a significant impact, and I am confident that the College of Medicine will continue to thrive because of your unwavering commitment."

      Thompson_Tina
      Tina Thompson, Ph.D.

      Over the course of the next several weeks, Dr. Kikano said he will work with Tina Thompson, Ph.D., who will serve as interim dean of the College of Medicine beginning May 16, to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Thompson, who brings more than 30 years of medical education experience to the role, has significant expertise in medical school accreditation and assessment and has provided oversight of CMU’s undergraduate medical education program (UME) since 2017.

      MacKinnon said CMU will immediately begin a national search for the next dean of the College of Medicine.

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