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Dr. Holly Gruhlke joined Dickinson State University (DSU) in 2008. In 2024, she was
promoted to professor of business. From 2017 to 2020, she served as chair of the School
of Business and Entrepreneurship. She then advanced to dean of the College of Education,
Business, and Applied Sciences, and in 2023, became Vice President of the university.
Gruhlke is a graduate of Dickinson State University with a Bachelor of Science in
Business Administration, the University of North Dakota with a Master of Business
Administration, and Wilmington University with a Doctorate in Business. Gruhlke’s
dissertation research focused on understanding the preparedness of undergraduate business
students for the workforce. Other areas of research that she engages in include topics
in strategic planning, management issues, and corporate leadership. Her research has
been published in the Leadership & Organizational Management Journal, Ethics Journal,
Career Journal, Texas Business & Technology Educators Association Journal, and the
Quarterly Review Journal, as well as in local newspapers.
In addition to her administrative duties, Dr. Gruhlke teaches various courses for
the School of Business and Entrepreneurship to stay connected with faculty and students.
Topics she has taught include strategy, human resources, management, leadership, entrepreneurship,
and internship experiences. Gruhlke was recognized as DSU’s Outstanding Teacher of
the Year in Education, Business, and Applied Sciences in 2016 and the Distinguished
Educator of the Year in 2017. In December 2017, she received the distinction of Prairie
Business Magazine’s “40 Under 40”, an annual contest that names 40 people from throughout
the Dakotas and western Minnesota who have "impressed in their careers and enhanced
their communities.” Gruhlke was recognized as a 2018 Leadership Excellence and Development
(LEAD) national “Top Future Leader Under 35.” In 2019, the Mountain-Plains Business
Education Association (M-PBEA) selected Gruhlke as the Collegiate/University Teacher
of the Year. M-PBEA is a professional organization devoted exclusively to serving
individuals and groups engaged in instruction, administration, research, and dissemination
of information for and about business that covers nine states and two provinces: Colorado,
Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming,
Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
Gruhlke enjoys being a member of the Power of 100 Women and serving on various community
boards. She currently serves on the St. Alexius Hospital of Dickinson Patient and
Family Advisory Board and the Regional Quality and Values Committee for CHI’s Midwest
division.
“‘Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.’ This
is the perfect example of how my teaching has grown and evolved throughout my tenure
at Dickinson State University,” said Gruhlke. “I have come to the understanding that
in order to influence student growth, students must be able to ‘touch’ complex aspects
with their own hands. Students have come to enjoy the experiences they are having
within the classroom, and I have found that this method of instruction applies to
all courses I teach, regardless of the topic.”
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