The Montana Board of Regents on Monday announced Brock Tessman as the new president of Montana State University, concluding the state’s search for a successor to outgoing President Waded Cruzado. Tessman, who is the current president of Northern Michigan University, will take the helm of the Bozeman-based flagship campus July 1.
“I’m confident the process has yielded an outstanding, visionary leader in Dr. Tessman,” Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian said in an emailed statement Monday. “We believe Dr. Tessman is exceptionally well positioned to guide MSU to new heights.”
Tessman assumed his position at Northern Michigan University in February 2023, where, according to the Regents’ press release, he oversaw record retention rates and growth in both undergraduate and graduate student populations. Prior to his work in Michigan, Tessman served as a deputy commissioner under Christian at Montana’s Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education overseeing academic affairs across the state’s 16 public campuses. Tessman has also served as dean of the University of Montana’s Davidson Honors College, and earned advanced degrees in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“Montana State University holds a special place in my heart given my previous work within the Montana University System,” Tessman said in a statement accompanying the Regents’ announcement. “I am honored by this opportunity to serve as MSU’s next president and look forward to building on its incredible legacy.”
Reached by phone Monday afternoon, Tessman told Montana Free Press the position was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” both professionally and personally. He added he’s been “very happy, very privileged” to lead Northern Michigan University since 2023, but characterized the slated return to Montana as a “homecoming” for himself and his family and a chance to contribute again to the state’s work in higher education.
“My time in Montana really helped me appreciate the transformative opportunity MSU offers its students,” Tessman said. “But also thinking about the way in which research coming from the faculty and students at Montana State really helps the state solve unique challenges — kind of Montana answers for Montana challenges — that’s something that’s really inspiring and I want to make sure we keep building on that success.”
The announcement from the Regents specifically noted Tessman is “known for his energy, dedication to students, strong communication skills, and ability to deliver results — qualities that make him uniquely suited to lead MSU into its next chapter.”
Cruzado announced her plans to retire last fall, signaling the end of a 15-year tenure marked by a nearly 3,000-student increase in fall headcounts, the construction of numerous new facilities including the more than $50 million Gianforte Hall, and a string of federal civil rights investigations in recent years tied to complaints over the treatment of LGBTQ+ and minority students. Cruzado also defended the campus’ interests heavily in the Legislature, ensuring millions in state funding during the 2023 session to help support construction of a physical headquarters for the two-year Gallatin College.
Tessman steps into the role at a time when colleges and universities around the country are navigating a rapidly changing landscape under the Trump administration. Last month, the MSU campus was included in a list of 45 colleges and universities nationwide accused by the administration of limiting graduate program eligibility based on race, with Cruzado’s office countering that MSU adheres to all state and federal hiring laws. A slate of executive orders earlier this year have also triggered widespread concerns over federal research funding for Montana’s campuses — dollars MSU leaders deem critical to supporting staff, students and core facilities.
In a press release Monday, Gov. Greg Gianforte thanked Cruzado for her “transformational leadership” and congratulated Tessman on his appointment, specifically calling out his previous work at the state level helping to strengthen and expand MSU’s offerings through its two-year affiliate campus.
“I know he is an innovative leader who is the right person to lead our state’s only land-grant university,” Gianforte wrote. “I’m especially grateful for his commitment to expanding MSU’s Gallatin College as well as its public-private partnerships, ensuring Montanans, including alternative and high school students, have access to a high-quality education.”
Tessman’s naming to the MSU presidency followed a months-long search by a committee of nearly two dozen representatives from various corners of higher education. The committee, chaired by Christian, narrowed its candidate pool to two finalists last month: Tessman and Kurt Schnier, current vice chancellor for planning and budget at the University of California, Merced. Tessman verbally accepted the position as MSU’s 13th president recently and will assume office pending contract negotiations and formal approval by the Board of Regents in May.
MSU presidential finalist Brock Tessman is married to former MTFP deputy director and current part-time MTFP contractor Kristin Tessman. MTFP business staff do not have input into editorial coverage.
This story was updated April 7, 2025, to include additional comment from incoming Montana State University President Brock Tessman.
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