Presidential search still underway, candidate finalists to come in March

MSU is continuing its search for a new president before incumbent Waded Cruzado retires on June 30, 2025.

The search began in August of 2024 after Cruzado announced her resignation in an email to the MSU community. It has included a series of community listening sessions held on campus on Nov. 4, 2024. These listening sessions then informed the president position profile.

“[The president position profile] is what encompasses all of the public testimony that people brought to the search advisory committee to say: We want you to consider these things for the next president of the University,” said Galen Hollenbaugh, the Deputy Commissioner of Government Relations and Communications for the state’s Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE), which administers the Montana University System and is governed by the Board of Regents (BOR). 

The MSU Presidential Search Advisory Committee (PSAC) was then formed to gather opinions from the community on what they were looking for in the next president and put together the presidential position profile. “The [PSAC] committee members were selected by [the OCHE]. It is a large swath of people from the community,” Hollenbaugh said.

According to the description listed on MSU’s website, the most important quality of the next president is their capacity to succeed within a state university system governed by a BOR and a Commissioner of Higher Education, as well as their ability to advocate for MSU, collaborate with other university system leaders and honor the institution's history. 

Hollenbaugh said that the search for presidential candidates will continue until the finalists are selected by the PSAC. “An external hiring firm was contracted with,” he said. “They're the ones who sort of help with search committees. They will compile all the resumes and then make recommendations to the Commissioner of Higher Education [Clayton Christian].”

“[Christian] will be responsible for ultimately hiring the next president. Then he'll take that candidate to the [BOR] to approve the contract for the next president of MSU,” Hollenbaugh said.

The PSAC could not comment on what candidates are currently being considered for the position. “People who are being considered are all confidential until [the PSAC committee] have the finalists,” Hollenbaugh said. 

Associated Students of MSU (ASMSU) Vice President Bailey Jones said that the University has been transparent throughout the search. “While some aspects of the search must remain confidential, I believe the University strives to keep students informed whenever possible,” she said.

Two student representatives — one undergraduate and one graduate — are currently serving on the PSAC. ASMSU President Jacob Zink serves as the undergraduate representative and confirmed that student participation extends beyond the committee itself. According to him, student participation will be sought again when finalists are selected. 

The finalists for the position will be invited to MSU and MSU Billings in March of 2025 to meet the campus community, according to Hollenbaugh. The details of these visits — including dates, the names of candidates and the events that will occur — will be shared in mid-March, according to the MSU website. 

“While no one can truly fill President Cruzado’s shoes, students are looking for a leader who will make their collegiate experience fun, meaningful and well-supported,” Jones said. “Students are looking for the next leader who represents all MSU students at all times.”

For more information regarding the search for a new University president, visit montana.edu/president/search/.