Waded Cruzado, current president of Montana State University, has been appointed president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). She will assume her new role on July 1, following her retirement from Montana State University.
The APLU is a member organization of nearly 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations. The association focuses on increasing access to higher education, promoting scientific research, expanding economic and community engagement in academia, and consulting on federal policies relating to public and land-grant universities.
Since assuming the twelfth presidency of Montana State University in 2010, Dr. Cruzado has led the institution through a period of substantial growth. Under her leadership, the university earned the prestigious Carnegie R1 research institution designation and improved its student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Prior to her current presidency, Dr. Cruzado held academic and administrative appointments with the University of Puerto Rico and New Mexico State University.
“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,” said Dr. Cruzado. “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.”
Dr. Cruzado is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, where she majored in comparative literature. She holds a master’s degree in Spanish language and literature and a Ph.D. in humanities from the University of Texas at Austin.