U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today recognized Dr. Waded Cruzado ahead of her departure with a speech on the Senate floor for her years of service as President of Montana State University. Dr. Cruzado, who will be departing MSU later this year, helped transform the school into one of the top public universities in the country and made a lasting impact on the state of Montana.
Watch Daines’ remarks HERE.
Daines’ remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you, Madam President.
I rise today to honor an esteemed Montana leader: Dr. Waded Cruzado.
Dr. Cruzado has served as the beloved President of Montana State University, my alma mater, since 2010. In fact, three out of our four children graduated from MSU during her tenure as President.
For over 15 years she has been a tireless leader, pushing MSU to new heights both academically and in athletics.
Her passion for the success of her students has transformed not only the MSU campus, but our great state as well.
The impact of Dr. Cruzado’s leadership is felt and seen by students, faculty, and community members across Montana, and the results speak for themselves.
MSU is now one of the top public universities in the country, and as a fellow Bobcat myself, I couldn’t be more proud.
Under her leadership we saw record-breaking accomplishments at Montana State University.
Student enrollment increased by 26 percent to over 17,000 students, making MSU the largest university in Montana.
The student retention rate grew to 75 percent- the highest it’s been in 30 years.
Graduation rates increased to the highest they’ve been in more than 20 years.
The University’s annual research expenditures increased by 162 percent- making MSU the leading research institution in the state.
The school was recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education and the American Council on Education as one of the most productive research institutions in the U.S.
Dr. Cruzado has also been instrumental in transforming the Bobcat athletic department.
As President, the MSU Bobcats soared to new heights.
Our football team made it to two NCAA FCS Championships and won 5 Big Sky Conference Championships.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams both earned multiple trips to NCAA tournaments and together have won 5 Big Sky Conference championships.
MSU won 3 national team titles in women’s rodeo, and made 12 consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Skiing Championships.
Clearly, Dr. Cruzado has helped lead MSU into a new era of academic, cultural, and athletic excellence, and even to the moon.
Now, after more than a decade of service to our state, it’s my honor to recognize her hard work and dedication as she begins the next chapter of her career as President of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.
Her work and bold leadership will be forever remembered and she will leave a lasting legacy on MSU, its students and staff, and all Bobcats fans.
I wish her well and look forward to rooting for her continued success—once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat!
On behalf of Montana- Thank you Dr Cruzado, and as always, Go Cats!
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Rachel Dumke