Entering his 25th year as Director of Athletics,
Kevin Buisman is the longest-serving athletics director in Minnesota State University history and one of the longest-tenured athletics directors in NCAA Division II. Since his appointment on July 26, 2002, he has helped establish Maverick Athletics as one of the nation's premier NCAA Division II athletics programs through a combination of strategic vision, competitive excellence, facility development and organizational leadership.
Under Buisman's leadership, Minnesota State has captured five NCAA Division II national championships, including women's basketball (2008-09, 2023-24), men's basketball (2023-24), women's indoor track & field (2021-22) and softball (2017). In total, Maverick teams have made 124 NCAA Division II postseason appearances and 11 NCAA Division I postseason appearances in men's hockey under Buisman’s watch, with two student-athletes named as Honda’s NCAA Division II Female Athlete of the Year.
The 2025-26 academic year continued Minnesota State's tradition of national success as the Mavericks won eight conference championships, four conference runner-up finishes, the NSIC Women's All-Sports Championship and the NSIC Overall All-Sports Championship. Maverick teams recorded ten Top-25 national finishes while the department earned a fifth-place finish in the final Learfield Directors' Cup standings. During Buisman's time, Minnesota State has consistently ranked among the nation's elite Division II athletics programs, earning 23 consecutive Top-25 appearances, including five straight Top-10 finishes.
Among the department's recent highlights was the historic 2023-24 season when Minnesota State became only the second NCAA Division II institution to win men's and women's basketball national championships in the same academic year. That achievement helped propel the Mavericks to a Top-10 national finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings and further solidified Minnesota State's reputation as one of the nation's elite athletics programs.
In January 2024, Buisman joined President Edward Inch's Executive Leadership Team as a member of the University Cabinet, providing institutional leadership on matters extending beyond athletics. In fall 2025, he was appointed to the NCAA Division II Management Council, one of the division's primary governance bodies, where he helps shape NCAA Division II policy and strategic direction through January 2030. He also serves on the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and NCAA Convention Planning committees.
Throughout his tenure, Buisman has emphasized student-athlete success both on and off the field. Working closely with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), he has championed initiatives related to student-athlete welfare, leadership development, mental health support, community engagement, career preparation and student-athlete recognition programs. Under his leadership, Maverick student-athletes contributed nearly 4,000 hours of community service during 2025-26, while SAAC earned the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence for its Make-A-Wish initiative.
Buisman has also been instrumental in advancing the department's long-term strategic vision. During 2025-26, he oversaw completion of the department's Destination 2030 Strategic Plan, implemented a comprehensive organizational restructuring and began to facilitate the transition of athletics revenue generation operations to the Minnesota State University Foundation. These efforts were designed to strengthen financial sustainability while positioning Maverick Athletics for continued growth amid a rapidly changing collegiate athletics landscape.
One of the most significant initiatives of Buisman's career is “The Future State”, a transformational athletics facilities project designed to position Minnesota State Athletics for decades of future success. As the department’s executive leader of the initiative, Buisman has guided the public launch, stakeholder engagement process, facility planning efforts and development of a comprehensive facilities master plan that includes new competition venues, student-athlete support spaces and expanded opportunities for community partnerships.
Facility improvements have long been a hallmark of Buisman's tenure. His leadership has helped bring numerous major projects to fruition, including a $6.2 million outdoor athletics facilities project, the transition of Maverick Hockey into Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, construction of Scheels Field at the Maverick All-Sports Dome and installation of the state-of-the-art center-hung Daktronics videoboard in Taylor Center.
