Daines honors Cruzado in Congressional Record
Sen. Steve Daines, left, with Waded Cruzado, President of Montana State University, and Daines' wife, Cindy. (Photo courtesy of Steve Daines' office.)
Montana's senior U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a 'fellow Bobcat,' presented outgoing Montana State University President Waded Cruzado on Saturday with the Congressional Record of remarks he made regarding her tenure at the Bozeman flagship.
'She has been a tireless leader, pushing MSU to new heights, both academically and in athletics,' Daines said on the floor. 'Her passion for the success of her students has transformed not only the MSU campus, but our great state of Montana as well.'
In August 2024, Cruzado announced her retirement in June 2025 after 15 years at the helm of MSU.
The Montana Board of Regents tapped the president of Northern Michigan University and former Montana University System deputy commissioner Brock Tessman as the next MSU president.
In July, Tessman will take the reins of MSU, now the largest campus in Montana.
On April 7, Daines, a Republican from Bozeman, delivered prepared remarks on the Senate floor about the achievements of Cruzado before placing a Bobcats ballcap on his head.
'Go, Cats,' he said.
Daines also shared his personal connections to MSU.
'Dr. Cruzado has served as the beloved President of Montana State University, my alma mater, since 2010,' Daines said in prepared remarks. 'In fact, three out of our four children graduated from MSU during her tenure as president.'
He named record-breaking accomplishments, including a 26% enrollment increase to more than 17,000 students, retention growth to 75%, 'the highest it's been in 30 years,' and graduation rates hitting the highest in more than 20 years.
Daines said Cruzado pushed research expenditures up by 162%, '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.,' Daines said.
In February 2025, MSU announced it was among 187 institutions in the nation to receive an 'R1' designation, denoting 'very high research output and doctoral education.' It also was recognized as having 'very high undergraduate' enrollment, or a high percentage of undergraduate students.
MSU said it was 'among only four universities in the country to receive both distinctions.'
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