[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S2452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. WADED CRUZADO

  Mr. DAINES. Madam President, I rise today to honor an esteemed, great 
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 of our four 
children graduated from Montana State 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 of Montana as well. The impact of Dr. Cruzado's leadership is 
felt and seen by students, faculty, and community members all across 
Montana. Frankly, the results speak for themselves.
  MSU is now one of the top public universities in the entire country. 
As a fellow Bobcat myself from 1984, I couldn't be more proud. In fact, 
under her leadership, we saw recordbreaking accomplishments at Montana 
State University.
  Student enrollment increased by 26 percent to over 17,000 students, 
making MSU the largest university in Montana. Importantly, the student 
retention rate grew to 75 percent. That is the highest it has been in 
30 years. Graduation rates increased to the highest they have been in 
more than 20 years.
  When you look at the annual research expenditures, Montana State's 
has increased by 162 percent, making MSU the leading research 
institution in our great State. The school was recognized by the 
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and the 
American Council on Education as one of the most productive research 
institutions in the United States.
  Dr. Cruzado has also been instrumental in transforming the Bobcat 
athletic department. As president--truly, I have watched the Bobcats 
since I was a little boy in Bozeman--the Bobcats have soared to new 
heights.
  Our football team has made it to two NCAA FCS championships, and they 
have won five Big Sky Conference championships.
  The men's and women's basketball teams both earned multiple trips to 
NCAA tournaments and together have won five Big Sky Conference 
championships.
  Let's talk about women's rodeo. MSU has won 3 national team titles, 
and they have made 12 consecutive top-10 finishes in the NCAA skiing 
championships.
  Clearly, Dr. Cruzado has helped lead MSU into a truly new era of 
academic, cultural, and athletic excellence--in fact, even to the 
Moon--with their program there on campus.
  Now after more than a decade of service to our State, it is my honor 
to recognize her hard work and her dedication as she begins the next 
chapter of her career as president of the Association of Public and 
Land-Grant Universities. Her work and her bold leadership will be 
forever remembered, and she truly has left a lasting legacy on MSU--its 
students, its staff, all the Bobcat fans, and myself.
  Waded, I wish you well, and I look forward to rooting for your 
continued success.
  As she knows and I know, once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat.
  So on behalf of Montana, Dr. Cruzado, thank you, and as you always 
say and I always say, ``Go Cats.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.

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