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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.

      Recruitment, retention VP finalists named

      by Sanjna Jassi
      Four candidates for CMU’s first vice president for student recruitment and retention have been invited to campus for open forums.

      The search for Central Michigan University's first vice president for student recruitment and retention has been narrowed to four candidates who have been invited to campus beginning tomorrow.

      CMU President Bob Davies has identified student recruitment and retention as top priorities for CMU amid enrollment challenges affecting higher education nationwide.

      The vice president will be responsible for the main aspects of student recruitment and retention, including Admissions, Scholarships and Financial Aid, the Registrar's Office, the Office of Student Success, and the Career Development Center.

      Th 12-member search committee, assisted by search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates, has invited Lee Furbeck, Dawn Medley, Anne Monroe and Jennifer DeHaemers to visit campus over the next two weeks.

      Each candidate will meet with faculty, staff and students at open forums in the Park Library Baber Room. Here are dates and details for their visits:

      Tuesday, Jan. 28: Lee Furbeck

      Open forum 3-4 p.m.

      • Dawn Medley is associate vice president for enrollment management and chief enrollment officer at Wayne State University in Detroit, a position she has held since 2016. Previously, she held enrollment and retention positions at several colleges and universities, including St. Andrews University, Warren Wilson College, Missouri Valley College, Forest Institute and the University of Arkansas. She holds a Master of Science degree in administration from Southeast Missouri State University; a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri; and an education specialist, higher education leadership degree from Lindenwood University.

      Tuesday, Feb. 4: Anne Monroe

      Open forum 1:30-2:30 p.m.

      • Anne Monroe is vice president of recruitment consulting services at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, a recruitment consulting and enrollment management service in Iowa. She previously served in student services and admissions roles in the Virgin Islands and in Michigan, including Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, CMU, Interlochen Center for the Arts and Alma College. She has a doctorate in higher, adult and lifelong education from Michigan State University and master's and bachelor's degrees from CMU.

      Wednesday, Feb. 5: Jennifer DeHaemers

      Open forum time: 1:30-2:30 p.m.

      • Jennifer DeHaemers has been associate chancellor for enrollment management at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., since May 2018. Prior to her current role, she was involved in enrollment management and admissions in various positions at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, from 1997 to 2017. She holds a master's degree in higher education administration from the University of Missouri and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Central Missouri.

      Faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend all open forums as their schedules allow. There is no requirement to stay for the entire time, and participants may come and go as needed. Those unable to attend the forums can view a livestream of each one; links are available on the senior officer searches website.

      Job-related feedback can be submitted by completing a candidate evaluation form at the open forums or by emailing comments to president@cmich.edu.

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