Kathleen H. Gruben

Prof. Gruben joined Georgia Southern University in 1998 and retired in 2020.

— Biography from the 2020 Fall Commencement program —

Dr. Gruben earned her B.B.A. in marketing and her M.B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University and received her Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. At the time of her retirement, she provided Georgia Southern with 22 years of distinguished service. During her tenure at the University, she gained national attention for the University through the National Retail Federation, received several awards and recognitions, provided students with countless professional development opportunities, developed a reputation as a leading expert in the promotional products industry, and raised over a half a million dollars in grants, scholarships, and funding for the Center for Retail Studies. Dr. Gruben is the recipient of numerous awards including Professor of the Year, the Martin NeSmith Outstanding Service Award, the Brown and Williams Award, and Citation for Student Engagement—all Parker College of Business awards. She earned “Outstanding Research Paper” at numerous conferences. Several students named her as a mentor through Omicron Delta Kappa where she was eventually inducted into the organization as a faculty member. Dr. Gruben was awarded research grants from Promotional Product Association International where she developed a reputation as an industry expert. These grants led to other grant opportunities to research for organizations such as the Atlanta Braves. These studies raised the University visibility through the books published from the research and citations in the media. During her time at the University, Dr. Gruben raised $521,165 in grants, scholarships, and funding for the Center for Retail Studies. The majority of this funding was invested in research and student development. In one case, she developed the Georgia Index of Retail Trade, a quarterly publication which was eventually taken over by the FDIC in Atlanta. For these and many other contributions to the department, college, University, and profession, Dr. Kathleen H. Gruben merits the title of Associate Professor Emerita of Marketing.*