BOWIE, Maryland -- On a hot, humid early August morning, there are few people walking around the Bowie State University campus. Except for some parents and their soon-to-be college students looking for an orientation session, there doesn't seem to be much going on.

But a look inside the Leonidas James Physical Education Complex shows otherwise.

Athletics Director Derek Carter has been in his office since about 8:30 preparing for a full day of meetings about the upcoming fall sports season. The first football game is less than a month away and there are still many details to work out, which is why he has called a 9 a.m. staff meeting.

Carter recently completed his first year at Bowie State, having arrived there last July from Virginia State University, where he also served as athletics director.

"It's been quite enjoyable," Carter, 42, said of his first year at the historically black college of about 5,000 students located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

A native of Washington, D.C., Carter said the move to Division II Bowie State helped him be closer to his mother, who suffered a stroke last year, while also allowing him to continue doing a job he loves.

Walking from his office to his meeting in the Center for Learning and Technology, Carter points out the art sculptures that dot the campus. He admits he's "not really an art guy" and continues to show a visitor other buildings on campus, such as the new apartments still being built that are scheduled to house students in a few weeks.

In the second-floor conference room, Carter gets down to business and begins his meeting by reviewing a checklist of items that need to be addressed before the August 28 football game against West Virginia State University. The group discusses program sales, how sales for tickets will work this year, the status of the public address system and the need to maximize revenue from the games by selling tickets at all points of entry to the field.

When compliance officer and track and field/cross country head coach Marc Harrison walks in late for the meeting, explaining he can't stay because a recruit from New Jersey showed up about three hours ahead of schedule, Carter jokes with him that a visitor from the NCAA is there from the enforcement division to ensure everything is as it should be.

Harrison stops for a second, but then quickly joins in the group's laughter at Carter's joke.

Then it's back to business as Carter emphasizes the need for student-athletes to support one another by going to each other's matches and games. After a quick discussion of the upcoming women's volleyball season, the meeting is adjourned and Carter heads back to his office.

The room, which overlooks the courtyard, is sparsely decorated. On the brick wall behind his desk hang his two degrees: a bachelor of science degree in marketing education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a master of science degree in sports management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

A few photos of his wife Karen and 3-year-old son Bryce sit on a bookshelf, and the only photo hanging on the wall is one of him from his days at Virginia Tech when he played football for the Hokies. He jokes about those being the days when he was in better shape.

Carter's e-mail has been down for about a week, something he's finding a bit frustrating, so he checks voice mail and calls security to set up a meeting for later that day to talk about safety issues for the upcoming football season.

"I do a lot of things that Division I athletics directors don't have to do," he explains. "We wear multiple caps."

But, Carter says, he likes being involved in all aspects of his school's athletics program. "Right now, where I am career-wise, I'm happy."

Unusual career path

Sitting behind his desk, which is filled with folders, notebooks and various papers, Carter recalls how he went from football player to athletics director. "There's no exact science to becoming an athletics director," he says.

After college, and a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Carter worked as a marketing representative for Xerox, but a call from a former coach at Virginia Tech about an open graduate assistant position led him back to school to begin what he thought would be a coaching career.

But the frustrations of coaching led Carter to rethink that decision. He left Virginia Tech to help his father in his battle with cancer, and while Carter was home he got a call from his former academic advisor, who was now at Tennessee. He then left for Tennessee to pursue a career in athletics administration and worked there for three years as a career development coordinator.

In 1994, Carter returned to Virginia Tech as an assistant athletics director for student life. He worked in various other positions at the school until he was married in 1998. He and his wife moved to the Richmond, Virginia, area where he became the athletics director at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Virginia.

While it may be an unusual move to go from a Division I program to a high school, Carter says his two years there were invaluable. "I wore every cap possible for an athletics director," he said.

But Virginia Tech called again and he returned to his alma mater once more to run the Hokies' letterman's club. He was there for a year before heading to Virginia State to serve as athletics director.

"At every stop I've tried to better myself professionally. I learned from everyone I worked with," he said. "I took a little bit from everybody."

Helping young people develop

A glance at the clock shows it's inching toward 11 a.m., and Carter has to fill out time sheets so some of his staff members can get paid. Since his computer is down, he heads out to find a working computer.

Back in his office, not sure if the computer registered the information he put in for the time sheets, it's time for a meeting with John Wilson, who works in external relations for Bowie State, and a representative from the local chapter of the American Automobile Association's (AAA) driving school to discuss sponsorship ideas.

"It's critical that we raise money to offset our costs," Carter says.

During the meeting, the three discuss partnership ideas between the two groups, including signs in the stadium and the gym and an ad on the new athletics Web site that is being developed.

"I want our Web site to look the same as if you were going to the University of Maryland Web site," he explains, referring to what will soon be www.bsu
bulldogs.com.

"We need the revenue, you guys need the advertising," Carter says, as he discusses the various ways AAA can benefit from working with Bowie State. He talks about attendance figures for home football and basketball games, pointing out that the crowds can all be looking at AAA signs. He also says he would like to partner with high-profile groups that have a good reputation in the community.

At the end of the short meeting Carter shakes the man's hand. "Hopefully we can make this work," he says. "This can be exciting."

The men leave and Carter jots down notes in a notebook he calls his "bible." Then it's time to return a bunch of calls, including one to someone he wants to hire to landscape the football field's end zone and confirmation of a 2 p.m. meeting with security.

Over lunch at Friday's, Carter talks about all aspects of his job, what he likes most about it and what frustrates him.

"I'm in this business because I like to see young people develop and grow and see what athletics can do for them," he says. "Athletics has been good to me and I like to see them enjoy some of the same things I've been able to enjoy."

As an athletics director, his contact with student-athletes is more limited than he would like, but Carter says he always has an open-door policy for them and he tries to attend at least a portion of every home game in every sport to let his student-athletes know he cares.

Carter also admits it can be difficult to balance revenue and nonrevenue sports, but his philosophy is, "Whether a student is bowling or playing football, that sport is important to them," and he's out to make sure they have the best experience possible.

"I'm judged on managing a budget, bringing in additional revenue and making sure we adhere to the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association)," he says. He adds that dealing with limited finances, which may prevent him from accomplishing all he wants, is his least favorite part of the job, though he knows it's a problem that comes with the territory.

For example, he says, he would like to see his facilities upgraded, more full-time staff added in the athletics department and a full-time academic advisor. But for now, he's excited about the new CHAMPS/Life Skills program starting this fall, and he's hoping to secure a grant from the NCAA to hire a full-time senior woman administrator and academic advisor.

'I want my staff to shine'

During the remainder of lunch and on the ride back to campus, Carter talks about his playing days at Virginia Tech, the excitement he feels about the school moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference and other aspects of college football.

Back in his office, Carter receives a hearty greeting from basketball student-athlete Allyson Hardy, who has just stopped by to say hello. He invites her in to sit down for a moment and Carter talks about the time he saw Hardy score 50 points in a game.

"It was amazing," he says, his pride for her evident in his voice.

At 2 p.m. it's time for a meeting with SWA Arlene Creek and public safety officers Lashelle Stanback and Vernishia Carter. The four talk about the number of security guards and officers needed for each football game and the need to be prepared for all possible scenarios.

They mull over the idea of having Bowie State alumni who are police officers come to games in uniform to act as a deterrent. The officers aren't sure this idea will work, but everyone agrees to keep it in mind.

Carter scoffs at having to pick up the whole tab for security. "Football is not just an athletics event, it's a campus event," he says. He tells the officers about events planned for specific games, such as Military Appreciation Day on the September 11 game against Virginia State. He's hoping to have a fly-over during the game and is working with the campus's ROTC officials to have someone parachute in with the game ball.

With security plans mapped out for the games, Carter checks voice mail again, noting that the four messages left for him in the last couple of hours are nothing because "it can easily be 10 or more."

Sports information director Gregory Goings drops by to say hello and the two talk about the money needed for clock operators and a chain crew for football games. It will cost about $250 a game, money Carter says he really doesn't have, but there's no choice -- you can't have a football game without a chain crew and clock operators. Carter just shakes his head.

There's not much time to dwell on the issue, though. At 3:30 p.m., he ushers a group of Shriners into his office to talk about fund-raising. The men want to get involved in Bowie State athletics in some way and help raise money, so Carter tells them about the options available to them.

He talks about raising money for scholarships and sponsorship of games or tournaments and tells them that any money raised can go far on his campus.

"If we could get an additional $10,000, $15,000 it could do wonders for us," he says.

The group decides to start the partnership by selling tickets to a football game this season and holding a tailgating event to raise awareness about the group's dedication to the school and athletics programs.

Carter is happy with that decision. "I'm running a marathon; it's not a sprint. I know it takes time. If you all sell 50 tickets, that's helping me," he says. "I believe you've got to take small steps."

With handshakes all around, the men leave and Carter checks his voice mail again.

It's about 4 p.m. now, but just because it's summer doesn't mean Carter's day is over. Tonight is a welcome-back dinner at the Golden Corral for the entire athletics staff, including all the coaches. It's a time, he said, to get everyone excited about the coming year.

"I want my coaches to shine," he said. "When my coaches and athletes shine, that's the reward I get."