Dragseth Honored with Professorship

Dickinson State University School of Business professor Dr. Debora Dragseth has been a fan of Baker Boy donuts as long as she’s been teaching at the university, which is 34 years. Baker Boy obviously is a fan of hers.

The DSU Heritage Foundation added another chapter to Dragseth’s illustrious career when it bestowed upon her the Baker Boy Professor of Leadership title.

Dragseth was surprised and thrilled by the honor. “I’m super proud. I could not think of a company I’d rather be associated with and to have their title associated with my title,” Dragseth said.

Dragseth said she, the university and Baker Boy will benefit from the relationship.

“I’m just proud to be associated with this company,” Dragseth said. “My students will tour there, I’m going to do leadership training for them, and in southwest North Dakota it does raise the profile of Baker Boy.”

A manufacturer of premium bakery products for foodservice, bakeries, C-stores and private customers, Baker Boy is one of the largest employers in Dickinson. It has been in business since 1955 and in Dickinson since 1957.

DSU Heritage Foundation Executive Director Ty Orton approached Baker Boy President Guy Moos to gauge the company’s interest in sponsoring the university’s third named professorship. Moos, whose company always has been a contributor to academic and athletic needs at the university, jumped at the opportunity.

“I’ve always had a great admiration for Deb and her career as a great educator,” Moos said. “That checked the box there. An opportunity to partner with the university and Dr. Dragseth was certainly appealing to me and Baker Boy. She has touched the lives of a lot of students over the years.”

Dragseth began teaching at Dickinson State University in 1989. She is the former director of Dickinson State University’s Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program, the former chair of the Department of Business and Management, provost/vice president from 2020-2022 and president of the statewide Council of College Faculties from 2017-2019. She served as the faculty representative on the State Board of Higher Education from 2019-2020.

Dr. Dragseth has received national first-place awards for web writing and business journalism. Her work on outmigration has been cited in both Forbes and Newsweek magazines. Dr. Dragseth has been given Dickinson State University’s highest faculty award, the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award. She was the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce’s Teacher of the Year and was named the university’s Innovative Teacher of the Year. She has also been named the student-elected Outstanding Faculty.