Letter from the President

Dear friends,

In my inaugural address as Montana State University’s 12th president — delivered about eight months after I began the job — I described how I came to work feeling awe and respect for what this university has done for its people. In that speech, I shared a vision for our land-grant university’s crucial work in teaching, research and outreach, and I concluded with a call to action. I asked our university community to work, together, to build an even better and stronger Montana State that would “empower the people and transform the world.”

As I reflect on the last 15 years, it gives me great joy to write that I believe we have done exactly that. 

Your university has attracted record numbers of students and then helped them stay in school and succeed. We have invested in and grown our research enterprise, creating new knowledge and art while marking numerous milestones and setting records along the way. Our outreach work has continued to grow and has been consistently recognized for the important services it provides to communities across our state and our globe.

Indeed, when I look back on the past 15 years, I feel honored to have been part of the deeply meaningful work we have undertaken together and proud of our many accomplishments.

These achievements belong to our MSU community. Time and time again, our students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans, benefactors and friends have generously given their skills, dedication and talents to make Montana State University the first-class institution that it is today.

Many of these achievements are detailed within the pages of this magazine. As you read about them, I hope you’ll feel – as I do – enormous pride at what this incredible institution and its people have accomplished. And I hope you share the great sense of hope that I have for Montana State University’s next 15 years and beyond. I look forward to cheering on your university — indeed, forever in my Bobcat heart, our university — as it undertakes its next chapter.

With great affection,

Waded Cruzado
President, Montana State University