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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.
University Communications merges integrated marketing, digital strategy teams
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Central Michigan University’s University Communications team has merged its integrated marketing and digital strategy teams. John Veilleux, chief marketing officer and vice president of University Communications, said the move will ensure a more engaging and consistent digital experience for website visitors and provide better support for campus partners.
“The cmich.edu website is the university’s largest marketing tool and one of the most vital ways we share information with our constituents,” Veilleux said. “Bringing these two teams together ensures we are able to provide the best customer service to our internal partners while also delivering the most engaging user experience to site visitors.”
Veilleux said Abby Dean, formerly executive director of integrated marketing, accepted leadership of the newly formed team. Dean was promoted to the role of deputy chief marketing officer in late May and immediately began the work of integrating the two teams.
As part of the transition, Veilleux said he also has promoted Lauren Sawyer to the role of Senior Associate Director of Web and Digital Strategy to provide additional guidance and support for the digital strategists, web architects and designers.
Following this change, University Communications will now have three functional areas: Integrated Marketing and Digital Strategy, Strategic Communications, and Visual Media.
“In addition to leading our unit’s largest team, Abby will continue to work with campus leaders and the full University Communications team to create a fully comprehensive, university-wide approach to marketing and communications,” Veilleux said.
Dean joined the University Communications team in February of 2019 as the director of integrated marketing. Over the past several years, she led the development and launch of the university’s “We do” brand, including its Emmy-nominated, award-winning awareness campaign. The University Communications team received 15 recognitions for its marketing campaigns this year, including national and international honors such as Communicator, Telly, Stevie, Hermes Creative, AVA Digital, MarCom and Viddy awards.
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.
