MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State Director of Athletics Kevin Buisman announced the hiring of Alexander Carew for the position of Interim Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Advising and Student Development.  Carew will fill the position previously held by Karey Kalakian, who left in August to pursue other opportunities.

"Alex's return to Minnesota State is a full-circle moment, both literally and figuratively," Buisman said. "He started here as an intern nearly a decade ago, and he has certainly put some polish on his resume since then, that included valuable opportunities in hockey, at the Division I level and in working with international students. Those experiences will serve him well in our unique environment at Minnesota State, and we're excited to welcome him back to the MavFam."

Carew, a native of Racine, Wis., is no stranger to MSU as he earned a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management in May, 2018 from MSU, and worked as an athletic compliance intern from 2016-2018.  He brings nearly a decade of experience in collegiate athletics, higher education administration and student services.  He has a Master of Science in Sports Management from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.  He earned a Master of Education in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University in December of 2025.

"I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many talented coaches, administrators and student-athletes," Carew said.  "Minnesota State is a special place filled with special people and I am excited to play a role in one of the most successful athletic departments in the country."

Most recently, he served as an International Admissions Credential Evaluator at Oregon State University, where he evaluated undergraduate and graduate international applications, conducts academic pre-reads for prospective student-athletes, reviews credentials from educational systems around the world, and works closely with admissions and athletics stakeholders on eligibility and matriculation processes.

Prior to Oregon State, Carew served as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Services at the University of Portland. In that role, he oversaw NCAA compliance education, recruiting activities, National Letter of Intent administration, eligibility certification processes, transfer evaluations, NCAA reporting, and student-athlete enrollment monitoring for the Pilots' athletic programs.

Carew previously spent more than three years at Bemidji State University, where he served as Interim/Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. During his tenure, he managed compliance operations for 13 NCAA Division I and Division II programs, oversaw recruiting compliance, athletic financial aid administration, transfer portal management, eligibility certification, progress-toward-degree monitoring, NCAA reporting, and rules education initiatives. He also collaborated extensively with campus partners to certify eligibility for approximately 350 student-athletes annually while serving as the institution's primary liaison to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

His experience also includes compliance positions at Bowling Green State University and Minnesota State University, Mankato. At Bowling Green, Carew assisted with initial eligibility reviews, squad list preparation, official visit monitoring, NCAA legislative education, and compliance tracking for the Falcons' Division I athletics programs. During his time at Minnesota State, he supported student-athlete eligibility certification, transfer evaluations, academic advising initiatives, and compliance education efforts.

Throughout his career, Carew has developed expertise in NCAA legislation, eligibility certification, transfer evaluations, athletic financial aid, admissions processes, student-athlete services, and compliance technology platforms, including Teamworks, FrontRush, NCAA Compliance Assistant, the NCAA Transfer Portal, Slate, Banner, Salesforce, OnBase, and SUNAPSIS.

Carew will begin his duties with Minnesota State Athletics on Monday, October 5, 2026.