APLU Names Waded Cruzado as Its Next President

Washington, DC – APLU today announced that Waded Cruzado, President of Montana State University and a passionate champion of the public and land-grant university mission, will serve as the next president of the association, effective July 1. Cruzado has been deeply engaged with APLU for many years, including as Chair of the Board of Directors in 2021. Since enrolling as a first-generation college student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, she has spent her entire time as a student, faculty member, and administrator at APLU member institutions.

Cruzado has served as President of Montana State University since 2010 and led transformative growth at the institution, which has set records in enrollment, retention, academic excellence, research, and fundraising during her tenure. Cruzado is well known for her passion in bringing greater public understanding to the importance of the Morrill Act of 1862, which created the public, land-grant university system for the benefit of all Americans. She is a passionate champion of the land-grant university’s tripartite mission of education, research, and outreach to communities, as well as the crucial role higher education plays in the development of individuals, the prosperity of the nation, and the vitality of democracy.

“We’re excited to announce Waded Cruzado as the next president of APLU,” said Gary May, Chancellor of the University of California, Davis, who led the presidential search committee and previously served as Chair of the APLU Board of Directors. “She is an exceptional leader who brings deep experience in successfully leading a public and land-grant university to impressive new heights. Importantly, she brings significant experience with APLU itself, including as Chair of the APLU Board of Directors, where she advocated for ways to advance the mission of the public research university sector overall. We are confident she will be an extremely effective advocate and voice for the entire public and land-grant university community and a leader who will galvanize institutions to work together to collectively strengthen their work.”

“Waded Cruzado is a trailblazing leader who brings many years of experience leading an outstanding public university and decades of involvement in the higher education policy community more broadly,” said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Chair of APLU Board of Directors and President of the University of Maine “She is a tireless advocate for public and land-grant universities and the extraordinary role they play in driving progress in the lives of students, their communities and states, and the country at large. Her unique experience and passion make her the perfect person to advocate for public universities and their impact in Washington.”

“Throughout my life, the history and the impact of land-grant universities and public higher education have provided me, and countless students and families, with inspiration and a call to action. I’ve seen firsthand the life-changing opportunity our public universities provide to their students, their communities, the country, and the world.” Cruzado said. “I’m honored to be chosen as the next leader of APLU and am thrilled that I’ll be able to help advance the impact of public and land-grant universities across North America. I have been part of the APLU community for many years and know well the critical role the association plays in building community. I look forward to helping APLU member institutions tackle shared challenges and seize opportunities to ensure everyone benefits from their mission and work.”

Under Cruzado’s leadership, Montana State University has achieved major growth milestones in a wide array of areas. Student full-time-equivalent enrollment has grown 35%; the university’s student retention rate set a record this past fall while simultaneously seeing the highest ACT/SAT and GPA scores of any entering class. The university’s four-year graduation rate soared 61% during Cruzado’s tenure.

Enrollment of students from underrepresented groups has also grown substantially during her decade and a half leading the institution with nearly all setting institutional records for the most recent academic year. Since Cruzado became president in 2010, enrollment of Native American students grew by 71%; Black students by 75%; Hispanic students by 232%; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander by 99%, and veterans by 43%.

Research at Montana State University, another of the institution’s pillars, flourished since 2010. The university is designated a Carnegie R1, a very high research activity institution, and the university’s annual research expenditures have grown more than 162% under Cruzado.

The physical campus expanded hugely under her leadership, with more than 25% of all square footage in the university’s 132-year history being added through more than $600 million in completed or under-construction projects. Major construction projects completed or on the horizon benefited the colleges of business, engineering, nursing, the university’s two-year programs, and the university’s American Indian programs and students. The university also added numerous housing, dining, athletics and student wellness projects as well as key infrastructure improvements.

The majority of the university’s physical growth was fueled by Cruzado’s skill as a fundraiser, raising more than $850 million in private dollars that provided student scholarships, endowed chairs, and funded construction of 13 major projects. This includes new academic buildings for engineering, computer science, business administration, Native American Studies and five new classroom and lab sites for nursing education around the state.

During her tenure, the university has been recognized by national organizations, including APLU, for excellence in community engagement, innovation and economic prosperity, and international education.

“It is truly a pleasure to heed the call to serve and to advocate for a better and brighter future for all Americans through the promise of public higher education: APLU is a champion of that message. I am deeply honored to accept this role and to continue to help strengthen an education system that has transformed the lives of millions of Americans,” Cruzado said.

Prior to assuming the presidency of Montana State University, Cruzado was Executive Vice President and Provost at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and served as interim president of the university. She also previously served as Dean of the College of Arts and Science at NMSU and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, where she started her career.

Cruzado has held a number of leadership roles in the higher education community in addition to her role as Chair of the APLU Board of Directors, including: Chair of the Campus Compact Board; Chair of the TIAA Hispanic Advisory Board; a member of the American Council of Education Board of Directors; and as a member of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, a role appointed by the President of the United States.

Cruzado has earned a wide variety of professional honors, including being recognized with the APLU Seaman Knapp Memorial Lectureship, the Council of Fellows Mentor Award by the American Council on Education, the Paul Harris Fellow Recognition, the Hero Award from the Montana Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Michael P. Malone Educator of the Year award.  A Puerto Rico native, Cruzado received her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, her master’s degree in Spanish from The University of Texas at Arlington, and her Ph.D. in Humanities also from The University of Texas at Arlington. She will succeed Mark Becker, who announced last year that he will depart the association after more than two years in the role.