Cruzado-Salas offered position as MSU president

[catatonic1]

Will she help or hurt athletics?
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-a ... 03286.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Glob ... S=11308575" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[HiLineCat]

I am disgusted with the search committee with this choice. We are a land grant institution with an emphasis in enginering and agriculture, with a major research componet in each discipline. What are we doing trying to hire someone with a liberal arts background in human rights. We had a excellent canidate in Dr. Steve Leath from North Carolina State. He has a background in plant pathology and tons of experience in administration. He was Associate Director of their Agricultural Experiment Station and is the vice president for research at NCS. He seems to be a much better fit for the type of University we are. I invite all of you to read and compare their vitae's and tell me wich one you would have leading our University.
Remeber that Montana's leading industry is agriculture. I have talked with many ag people in the state and they all told me that we need an ag person leading the University. A lot of them are unhappy with the direction MSU has taken with regards to agriculture and this choice is going to greatly disapoint them.

[mslacatfan]

..............hmmmmmm Not who I would have imagined..... I agree that her background does not seem like it is very well suited for MSU.......

[kcatz]

Wow Hiline Cat summed up pretty much what has been running thru my mind since I heard about this on the radio this morning.

As the 3 were in town to interview I was amazed and proud of the fact that the search committee chose 2 finalists with strong background in Ag research and the experiment stations (both Angle and Leath). In reading about Cruzado-Salas I just felt that she was not a good fit and that we would not have very much longevity.

I am very disappointed in the search committee and in this choice.

[WetWaderMT]

What'd you expect....it's Bozeman!

[SonomaCat]

..............hmmmmmm Not who I would have imagined..... I agree that her background does not seem like it is very well suited for MSU.......

But again, her professional and academic background is nearly identical to that of Gamble's, and she's from another western U.S. land grant university.

Gamble turned out pretty well, so what is it about her background that gives us more reason to worry than we did about Gamble?

[HiLineCat]

..............hmmmmmm Not who I would have imagined..... I agree that her background does not seem like it is very well suited for MSU.......

But again, her professional and academic background is nearly identical to that of Gamble's, and she's from another western U.S. land grant university.

Gamble turned out pretty well, so what is it about her background that gives us more reason to worry than we did about Gamble?

I just think that Leath would have been a better choice. People I know who were at his open forum were really enthused about what he could bring to MSU and agriculture in Montana. But looking at the search committee members the only one with any ag background is the director of MSU Extension, Dr. Doug Steele. He is a great advocate for ag in Montana but was definetly outnumbered on the committee.

[GrizinWashington]

Obviously I don't have a dog in this fight but I'll add my two cents to the discussion.

While having a strong Ag background would be nice, the job of university president is vastly different than it was 20 years ago. Today, particularly in Montana, a president needs to be able to do 4 things well: 1. Fund Raise; 2. Secure research dollars; 3. Lobby the Legislature; 4. Administrate.

If you don't have that skill-set, you cannot succeed as the President of a University like MSU in a state the size of Montana. It should be the role of the Deans and the Provost to have knowledge in particular areas such as Ag and engineering. There may be no larger fish to fry in Montana than agriculture, but first the president has to catch the fish.

[HelenaCat]

Obviously I don't have a dog in this fight but I'll add my two cents to the discussion.

While having a strong Ag background would be nice, the job of university president is vastly different than it was 20 years ago. Today, particularly in Montana, a president needs to be able to do 4 things well: 1. Fund Raise; 2. Secure research dollars; 3. Lobby the Legislature; 4. Administrate.

If you don't have that skill-set, you cannot succeed as the President of a University like MSU in a state the size of Montana. It should be the role of the Deans and the Provost to have knowledge in particular areas such as Ag and engineering. There may be no larger fish to fry in Montana than agriculture, but first the president has to catch the fish.

Wow-may be a first , but I agree with GinW here. I would hope the selection committee focused on items like he listed here when making the selection.

[rtb]

I thought I read that the selection committee just offered the pros and cons of the 3 finalists and then from there it was up to the Board of Regents to make the decision.

The thing with these public/private searches is we will probably never know what was considered or why it came down to the finalist. Maybe Leath was the first choice and said no, maybe they add additional information from references, maybe it was so close they flipped a coin. We'll never know. We have to trust the Board of Regents made the best decision with the information they had.

That being said, I am with you guys in that I thought Leath was the better candidate based on his background and his public forum. I liked that he had a clearer vision on how to partner with businesses, etc. to make a viable economic engine out of the research being done. Cruzado was more vague in her vision and didn't seem to be as aggressive into the public/private partnership that I as a business person thinks is key to university's success.

[kcatz]

you are correct RTB, I miss-posted earlier when I said I was disappointed in the selection committe.

The committee, interviewed and put their finding in no particular order and passed to the Board of Regents.

I have to say this system seems fairly chaotic, why would the board of regents know more about what the University needs than the search committe comprised of MSU reps?

[BearCat]

BOZEMAN – The Montana Board of Regents announced Wednesday that Waded Cruzado has accepted the offer to be Montana State University’s next president.

Cruzado will become MSU’s 12th president. She will also be the first woman and first minority to hold the presidency in the university’s history.

Though her salary is still being finalized, Cruzado has indicated she will assume the presidency around the first of the year, said Clayton Christian, vice chairman of the Montana Board of Regents.

"MSU’s new president will be a tremendous leader for the university, the community and the state," Christian said.

Cruzado, 49, is currently executive vice president and provost of New Mexico State University. She holds a bachelor's in comparative literature from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez; a master's in Spanish from the University of Texas, Arlington; and a doctorate in humanities from the University of Texas, Arlington.

"I am honored to be the next president of such a superb institution,"
Cruzado said. "MSU is deeply dedicated to its students and to the state. I look forward to continuing its tradition of excellence."

Christian, Stephen Barrett, chairman of the Montana Board of Regents, and Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns met with Cruzado on Wednesday in Las Cruces, N.M.

"She was our first choice," said Stearns. "She will bring great leadership to MSU and to Montana. This is a very good day."

Cruzado was selected from a pool of more than 60 candidates who applied for the position and was one of three finalists who visited the MSU campus in late September and early October.

"The feedback we received from her campus visit was glowing," Christian said. "Students, faculty and staff, as well as community members, were all very positive in their comments about her. We have a new president who is really going to do great things for our students and our state."

Cruzado will succeed MSU President Geoff Gamble, 67, who announced his plans to retire in March after leading the university for nine years.

[BwanaCat]

I will admit that Dr. Cruzado-Salas was not my choice to succeed Dr. Gamble because I don't think she was as experienced in the areas important to MSU & the state of Montana as is Dr Leath from North Carolina . However, I will reserve judgment on her until I can see the results of her actions and leadership abilities.

BTW, Sheila Sterns and Clayton Christian are two of the most rabid um supporters /jizz fans that I have ever been around. If you think these two had MSU's best interest next to their heart during this process you guys are dreaming or stoned. Also, considering the Board of Regents is a group of committed hard-core far leftists, I don't think Dr. Leath ever had a chance at being president but I gould be wrong. I pray I am wrong. Time will tell. GO CATS!

[whitetrashgriz]

I will admit that Dr. Cruzado-Salas was not my choice to succeed Dr. Gamble because I don't think she was as experienced in the areas important to MSU & the state of Montana as is Dr Leath from North Carolina . However, I will reserve judgment on her until I can see the results of her actions and leadership abilities.

BTW, Sheila Sterns and Clayton Christian are two of the most rabid um supporters /jizz fans that I have ever been around. If you think these two had MSU's best interest next to their heart during this process you guys are dreaming or stoned. Also, considering the Board of Regents is a group of committed hard-core far leftists, I don't think Dr. Leath ever had a chance at being president but I gould be wrong. I pray I am wrong. Time will tell. GO CATS!

i doubt being a sports fan of a certain team had anything to do with these peoples decisions.

[Sportin' Life]

I will admit that Dr. Cruzado-Salas was not my choice to succeed Dr. Gamble because I don't think she was as experienced in the areas important to MSU & the state of Montana as is Dr Leath from North Carolina . However, I will reserve judgment on her until I can see the results of her actions and leadership abilities.

BTW, Sheila Sterns and Clayton Christian are two of the most rabid um supporters /jizz fans that I have ever been around. If you think these two had MSU's best interest next to their heart during this process you guys are dreaming or stoned. Also, considering the Board of Regents is a group of committed hard-core far leftists, I don't think Dr. Leath ever had a chance at being president but I gould be wrong. I pray I am wrong. Time will tell. GO CATS!

i doubt being a sports fan of a certain team had anything to do with these peoples decisions.

So you are saying that it was not the sport fan conspiracy but the "hard-core far leftist" conspiracy?

[GrizinWashington]

I will admit that Dr. Cruzado-Salas was not my choice to succeed Dr. Gamble because I don't think she was as experienced in the areas important to MSU & the state of Montana as is Dr Leath from North Carolina . However, I will reserve judgment on her until I can see the results of her actions and leadership abilities.

BTW, Sheila Sterns and Clayton Christian are two of the most rabid um supporters /jizz fans that I have ever been around. If you think these two had MSU's best interest next to their heart during this process you guys are dreaming or stoned. Also, considering the Board of Regents is a group of committed hard-core far leftists, I don't think Dr. Leath ever had a chance at being president but I gould be wrong. I pray I am wrong. Time will tell. GO CATS!

OMG.

[longhorn_22]

I will admit that Dr. Cruzado-Salas was not my choice to succeed Dr. Gamble because I don't think she was as experienced in the areas important to MSU & the state of Montana as is Dr Leath from North Carolina . However, I will reserve judgment on her until I can see the results of her actions and leadership abilities.

BTW, Sheila Sterns and Clayton Christian are two of the most rabid um supporters /jizz fans that I have ever been around. If you think these two had MSU's best interest next to their heart during this process you guys are dreaming or stoned. Also, considering the Board of Regents is a group of committed hard-core far leftists, I don't think Dr. Leath ever had a chance at being president but I gould be wrong. I pray I am wrong. Time will tell. GO CATS!

OMG.

OMG.

[BozoneCat]

I don't know a whole lot about any of the candidates other than what I have read in the papers and the transcribed parts of their interviews, but I personally feel this is an absolutely huge mistake. I think this lady is in way over her head, and I don't think she will be a successful president for Montana State University. Leath seemed to be the clear obvious choice to me.

Nobody's addressed it yet, but I will. Does anyone have reservations about her because she is a woman? I'm not 100% sure what to think in this regard, but I think it is a fair question, even if it isn't PC to do so. I don't think that's going to go over very well in a state like Montana. Like GinW alluded to, her main role lies in her ability to fund raise and interact with the politicians, and I think a female is going to have a harder time doing these things in a place like Montana than she would in a place like, well, California (griz fans inject Cali JUCO joke here). Since this is a sports forum, I also have concerns about she will support athletics as well - seems to me other female presidents out west have only served to hamper their schools' athletics programs, as women (complete generalization here, I know) tend to not be as avid sports fans as males. I think this is an academics issue at the same time. There is a buttload of information out there on how athletics success directly translates to increased interest in a school and increased revenue for the academics programs.

Anyways, kind of a rambling post, I know, but kind of my thoughts. That said, I hope she completely proves me wrong on all accounts.

[grizzh8r]

Score another win for Affirmative Action...

[SonomaCat]

Why do you think people in Montana won't accept and support a female university president just as well as they would a male?

I mean, the state did elect a woman to the U.S. Congress almost 100 years ago ... has the state regressed since then into a place that more resembles Saudi Arabia of today than Montana of the early 1900s?