President Cruzado Retiring

[gtapp]

After serving with immense pride and joy as your president for 15 years, I have decided this will be my last academic year, and I will retire effective June 30, 2025.

Serving as the 12th president of Montana State University has been an incomparable honor, the memory of which I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.

The promise of public higher education to better ourselves, our communities and our country endures as brightly today as it did in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law, establishing — for the first time — a public university in each state and territory of a still very young nation.

Montana State University has remained true to this foundation, opening its doors to all: to the sons and daughters of the working families of America, to the folks "of toil" who, not even in their wildest dreams, would have been able to imagine the potential that lay dormant inside their minds and in their hearts. That higher education would be enacted by, for, and in the people's interest was an inspired decision in 1862. It remains a wise path to follow into the future.

I had never been to Montana before my campus interview in September of 2009. Once here, I learned that the work of Montana State University extends beyond the edges of our campus in Bozeman. It resonates through three affiliated campuses at MSU Billings, MSU Northern in Havre and Great Falls College MSU. It is complemented by the impactful research conducted at our Montana Agricultural Experiment Station's centers and by serving the people in every county of Montana, thanks to the dedicated work of MSU Extension. Because of them, I reveled in telling audiences that the entire state is our campus; I felt so proud to represent you in those moments.

I was born and raised in the coastal city of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, surrounded by palm and mango trees — a landscape very different from the one I fell in love with once I moved to Montana. I grew up in a multigenerational house shared by my three younger siblings, my parents, two aunts and my maternal grandmother. None of the adults in my home had the opportunity to go to college, but they all valued education and were determined that we children would have the tools to aspire to an even more prosperous and happier life than theirs.

When I was 3 years old, my grandmother handed me a treasure: She gave me reading lessons at the kitchen table while she cooked the traditional rice and beans for the family. Learning to read felt like magic, and books opened a world of wonder that I still explore every day, passing on that gift to my own children and my two granddaughters. Reading books (particularly literature and history) is how I found my path to higher education — books transform lives.

I have a debt of gratitude to the people who first educated me — starting at home — and for 13 school years at Colegio de la Milagrosa. I would not be who I am without them or without the imprints left on me by attending and serving three land-grant universities: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, New Mexico State University and, yes, Montana State University.

Every day leading this university I have felt the hopes that families have for their children. For each and every one of our students, I can feel my own family's presence urging me to do my very best to care for them. We all have ledgers in our lives that we struggle to balance, and it has been my privilege, and a blessing, to try to repay my family's gifts by serving at a public university.

If I have had any measure of success in this endeavor, it has only been due to all of you: the students, the faculty, the staff, the alumni, the fans, the benefactors and my devoted team, with whom I start every day standing in a circle in the morning — a tribute to the Indigenous nations who inhabited the land on which Montana State University stands today.

You trusted me, you laughed with me, argued with me, questioned me, you helped me, you worked endless hours at my behest, you made impossible things happen, but most of all: You joined me in believing that what we do here is vitally important to our country and to the world. You joined me in giving a portion of our life to the conviction that public higher education matters.

A new academic year, replete with new opportunities, accomplishments and victories is about to begin; we have work to do. I'm grateful I still have this year to enjoy your company, our conversations, and to celebrate our traditions one more time. I'm thankful that I'm in good health to enjoy this transition into retirement — a new stage that I long for and dread in equal measure. Yes, I long for more time with my family, particularly my grandchildren, who will only be young once. As for the dread? I will miss you all so terribly much.

For this coming year, I invite you to join me: Come to the scholarly, artistic, cultural, athletic and community-building events that we plan with so much love; this year, let's cheer on the Bobcats at the top of our lungs and, this year, let the world know that we have Blue and Gold running through our veins... forever.

I know this magnificent university, this place where anyone with the desire to make their life better can do so, is in good hands. For it is your university: It is in your hands, as it has always been and shall ever be.
With great affection,




Waded Cruzado
President, Montana State University
Office of the President
216 Montana Hall
Bozeman, MT 55446-2608
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[coloradocat]

She's had quite the run over the last 15 years. I expect multiple buildings to be named after her in the next 20 years. Finding her replacement will be one of the most important hires in the history of the university to keep things moving in the right direction.

[RockyBearCat]

She will be missed. I imagine this will be a highly sought after job with the position she has the school.

[wbtfg]

Huge loss for MSU. People like her are one in a million. Huge hire upcoming for MSU.

[Camo_Cat]

NOOOOOOOOOOO! I would not want to follow her in shoes. What she has done here was unimaginable when she started. I was one of the many who first doubted the hire, and she leaves with me as one of her biggest fans. She will go down as one of the best leaders in the history of our fantastic university.

God speed Waded - thank you for everything you have done to continue making MSU a better place for everyone. May your retirement be blessed!

[Bobcatsinmso]

She's had quite the run over the last 15 years. I expect multiple buildings to be named after her in the next 20 years. Finding her replacement will be one of the most important hires in the history of the university to keep things moving in the right direction.

From what I have heard she wanted the Hotel on campus to be the cap in her retirement feather. The "Cruzado" Inn and Suites by Marriott perhaps?
I think she has been the best President of Montana State University in my lifetime.

[lutecat]

Yeah we need something named after her.

We see how greatly a presidential hire can effect a university. Ours dor the positive. Over the hill, negatively. Please don't let this next hire be someone that was a VP of a business with no higher education experience.

[AFCAT]

Yeah we need something named after her.

We see how greatly a presidential hire can effect a university. Ours dor the positive. Over the hill, negatively. Please don't let this next hire be someone that was a VP of a business with no higher education experience.

The main classroom/auditorium (old gym basketball court) in Romney Hall is named after her. I'm sure something else will be in the future.

[MSUBRONCO]

Wow!! Cruzado was amazing for the University, she took over my junior year what a change she made, she cared and was visible unlike the prez my first 2 years

[AFCAT]

This photo encapsulates her Bobcat spirit and should be the basis of any future statues of her.

[MSUBRONCO]

This photo encapsulates her Bobcat spirit and should be the basis of any future statues of her.

Yeah was nice she high five the students before the games not just hid in the suite!! One thing I'll for sure remember difference between her and Gamble I was a student during both

[nanacat]

Very good article listing her accomplishments. She will be missed!
https://www.northernag.net/montana-stat ... tWmp6iyYQQ

[Travelingcat]

By all accounts she was a transformative President who was exceptional at all of the things that a modern university President is expected to do-- fundraising, enrollment growth, building new faciliites, student and alumni relations, research and faculty growth, etc. I am confident we can find a good successor because between the growth of the University and the growth of Bozeman, the job the next President will be walking into a much more attractive situation than Cruzado inherited thanks in no small part to her work.

At the same time, one area where we haven't seemed to make much progress is intellectual diversity on the faculty. Though this is a conservative state, there don't seem to be any nationally prominent conservative scholars on MSU's faculty-- without "outing" myself too much, I'm pretty sure I'd be aware of them if they were out there.

So perhaps finding a President who would pay attention to increasing intellectual diversity on the faculty would be a good goal for MSU's next leader.

[coloradocat]

By all accounts she was a transformative President who was exceptional at all of the things that a modern university President is expected to do-- fundraising, enrollment growth, building new faciliites, student and alumni relations, research and faculty growth, etc. I am confident we can find a good successor because between the growth of the University and the growth of Bozeman, the job the next President will be walking into a much more attractive situation than Cruzado inherited thanks in no small part to her work.

At the same time, one area where we haven't seemed to make much progress is intellectual diversity on the faculty. Though this is a conservative state, there don't seem to be any nationally prominent conservative scholars on MSU's faculty-- without "outing" myself too much, I'm pretty sure I'd be aware of them if they were out there.

So perhaps finding a President who would pay attention to increasing intellectual diversity on the faculty would be a good goal for MSU's next leader.

That's a good goal but I assume it's hard to find a university president that is both willing to foster intellectual diversity and to handle the organized resistance to it, among existing faculty, media, government officials across the country and online personalities.

[Travelingcat]

By all accounts she was a transformative President who was exceptional at all of the things that a modern university President is expected to do-- fundraising, enrollment growth, building new facilities, student and alumni relations, research and faculty growth, etc. I am confident we can find a good successor because between the growth of the University and the growth of Bozeman, the job the next President will be walking into a much more attractive situation than Cruzado inherited thanks in no small part to her work.

At the same time, one area where we haven't seemed to make much progress is intellectual diversity on the faculty. Though this is a conservative state, there don't seem to be any nationally prominent conservative scholars on MSU's faculty-- without "outing" myself too much, I'm pretty sure I'd be aware of them if they were out there.

So perhaps finding a President who would pay attention to increasing intellectual diversity on the faculty would be a good goal for MSU's next leader.

That's a good goal but I assume it's hard to find a university president that is both willing to foster intellectual diversity and to handle the organized resistance to it, among existing faculty, media, government officials across the country and online personalities.

Yes, that is the challenge. TBH, you need leadership from the Governor and legislature to make progress and bring the radical faculty to heel. In both Florida and Texas (among other states) they've recently made significant progress. Hopefully members of the board of Governors will ask some of the right questions we're making a hire.

[GoodTimesAllTheTime]

By all accounts she was a transformative President who was exceptional at all of the things that a modern university President is expected to do-- fundraising, enrollment growth, building new faciliites, student and alumni relations, research and faculty growth, etc. I am confident we can find a good successor because between the growth of the University and the growth of Bozeman, the job the next President will be walking into a much more attractive situation than Cruzado inherited thanks in no small part to her work.

At the same time, one area where we haven't seemed to make much progress is intellectual diversity on the faculty. Though this is a conservative state, there don't seem to be any nationally prominent conservative scholars on MSU's faculty-- without "outing" myself too much, I'm pretty sure I'd be aware of them if they were out there.

So perhaps finding a President who would pay attention to increasing intellectual diversity on the faculty would be a good goal for MSU's next leader.

What are you talking about? The Ag Econ & Econ department alone is well to the right in the field. Intellectual diversity sounds like that DEI and affirmative action stuff that “conservatives” are against anyway.

[Travelingcat]

By all accounts she was a transformative President who was exceptional at all of the things that a modern university President is expected to do-- fundraising, enrollment growth, building new faciliites, student and alumni relations, research and faculty growth, etc. I am confident we can find a good successor because between the growth of the University and the growth of Bozeman, the job the next President will be walking into a much more attractive situation than Cruzado inherited thanks in no small part to her work.

At the same time, one area where we haven't seemed to make much progress is intellectual diversity on the faculty. Though this is a conservative state, there don't seem to be any nationally prominent conservative scholars on MSU's faculty-- without "outing" myself too much, I'm pretty sure I'd be aware of them if they were out there.

So perhaps finding a President who would pay attention to increasing intellectual diversity on the faculty would be a good goal for MSU's next leader.

What are you talking about? The Ag Econ & Econ department alone is well to the right in the field. Intellectual diversity sounds like that DEI and affirmative action stuff that “conservatives” are against anyway.

As I said, I am not aware of any *prominent* conservative scholars at MSU. I did not say there were zero conservative faculty there. Being to the right of various left-wing departments nationally is not the same as being conservative.

Intellectual diversity in the pursuit of truth should be the entire point of a university. You expose students to different values, ideas, and perspectives. That has nothing to do with DEI based on someone's immutable characteristics like sex or skin color. The contemporary American university generally has little interest in doing this, which is why the quality of modern education is generally so poor.

But I'm glad at least that we have a good football team!

[CodyCat]

Well this turned stupid fast. Unfortunately, this thread may as well be locked now.

[hokeyfine]

If you want a good laugh, read the other board about the cruzado retirement.
They are convinced that president cruzado hated dumb and did everything she could to be better(paraphrasing)

[wbtfg]

If you want a good laugh, read the other board about the cruzado retirement.
They are convinced that president cruzado hated dumb and did everything she could to be better(paraphrasing)

I'm not sure that "hated" is the right word. But she is incredibly competitive and wanted to be the best at everything, especially when compared to UM.

That's part of what makes her great.