Dr. Holly Gruhlke began working for Dickinson State University (DSU) in 2008. In 2018,
Gruhlke was promoted to the rank of associate professor of business. She served as
the chair of the School of Business and Entrepreneurship from 2017 until 2020, before
being promoted to the position of dean of the College of Education, Business, and
Applied Sciences. She teaches a variety of courses for the School of Business and
Entrepreneurship, including strategy, management, leadership, and entrepreneurship,
as well as oversees the internship program.
Gruhlke is a graduate of 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 includes 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.
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 Fargo
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.”
|