Sue Carter has worn several hats during her lifetime, but on Friday she fulfilled the last duties of a position she's held for the last two years: secretary to the MSU Board of Trustees.
"I've been blessed to occupy a number of positions in life," Carter said. "I've learned a good number of skills which have served me well."
She's been a journalist, mother, motorcycle enthusiast, pilot, MSU professor and board secretary. Carter stepped down from her current position as secretary to pursue a calling with the ministry.
Carter said she's a self-proclaimed risk taker.
"There's a piece of me that likes living on the edge," she said. "I find that I enjoy life even more when it has a sharpness to it."
It's also a risky process to explore a religious calling, Carter said, but it was something she could no longer ignore.
"It's a little scary and I'm not sure exactly what it will lead to, but I'm open to the call," Carter said. "Most people take a much-measured approach to their career.
"I'm going to let the spirit take me wherever I need to go."
Carter - who said her love affair with ministry work began in 1967 when she was a senior in high school - won't be leaving the university entirely. She'll still be the chairwoman of planning MSU's sesquicentennial events, and she plans to return as a faculty member in a year.
Trustee Chairman David Porteous said Carter has excelled in all of her university roles.
"One word that really comes to mind with Carter is integrity," Porteous said. "Integrity with dealing with the board, administration and Spartans family is an important quality to have."
President Lou Anna K. Simon said she was surprised to hear Carter was leaving to pursue her calling, but is glad that Carter will still be connected with MSU.
"Carter is an extraordinary individual," Simon said. "Her contributions as secretary behind the scenes have become essential to the success of MSU."
As secretary, Carter was criticized for helping the board last semester, as it established its tailgating policy and alcohol guidelines, which ban the consumption of alcohol on campus. Carter said she and other administrators have become concerned with the culture of alcohol and the seriousness of alcohol poisoning.
"It was the right thing to do," Carter said.
Carter participated in an expedition to the North Pole which she wrote about in her book, "Ordinary Women."
She said she's been proud of the students she's taught and the administrators and trustees she's worked with.
