MINOT, N.D. – Andrew Carter will become Minot State University's next athletic director, MSU president Dr. Steven Shirley announced Wednesday.

Carter has been the Director of Athletics at NCAA Division II Northwest Oklahoma State since June 2011, managing 13 varsity sports and 450 student-athletes. He has 26 years of experience in collegiate athletics and 18 years as an Athletic Director.

He replaces longtime AD Rick Hedberg, who accepted the Vice President for Advancement position at Minot State in April. Carter becomes the 12th Athletic Director in school history and just the fifth AD since 1966.

"We look forward to welcoming Andy into the Minot community, and are excited about his leadership ahead within Beaver Athletics," Shirley said. "Andy brings a strong history of leadership in intercollegiate athletics to Minot State, and he also brings a great commitment to success and doing things the right way that will resonate well with MSU student-athletes, our athletic staff, supporters, fans, alumni, and the campus. We have a great foundation in place established through the terrific work of Rick Hedberg, and I look forward to Andy building upon that solid foundation. 

"A special word of thanks as well to the committee for all of their efforts in bringing three high-quality candidates to MSU as finalists for this important position."

Carter will transition to Minot State over the next 4-5 weeks, tentatively beginning with Beaver athletics around Aug. 1.

"I am thrilled to join the Minot State University family," he said. "I want to thank President Shirley, Kevin Harmon and the search committee for believing in what I can bring to Beaver athletics."

While at Northwest Oklahoma State, he helped the university gain NCAA Division II membership, finalizing in 2015. He increased the university's overall revenues by 323 percent and established 15 new positions. Carter was the 2014 recipient of the Donavan Reichenberger Fundraising Award, in recognition of his efforts to raise private funds in support of Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Prior to his time at Northwest Oklahoma State, Carter was the Director of Athletics at Armstrong Atlantic State in Savannah, Ga., from 2009-2011, the Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics at Newberry College in Newberry, S.C., from 2002-09 and Director of Athletics at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, Mo., from 1997-2002. He was the head baseball coach and an instructor at Missouri Baptist from 1991-99.

Carter and his wife, Rena, have been married for 31 years and have six children and six grandchildren.

"We are excited to join the Minot community and be a part of the fabric of the town," Carter said.

Carter's hiring is the culmination of a comprehensive national search process led by chair Kevin Harmon, Minot State Vice President for Student Affairs. The 14-member search committee included MSU faculty, staff, student-athletes, coaches, administrators and community members.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.