ST. CLOUD  — Earl H. Potter III, the president of St. Cloud State University, has been killed in a highway crash. He was 69.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor Steven Rosenstone said in a statement early today that Potter died Monday evening in a crash as he drove to the Twin Cities for a foundation board meeting. University spokesman Loren Boone confirmed Potter’s death.

The Minnesota State Patrol said Potter was driving east on Interstate 694 in Brooklyn Center about 5:30 p.m. when his SUV left the road and hit a guard rail. The patrol said Potter over corrected, causing the vehicle to flip multiple times and strike some cable barriers.

Rosenstone has named Provost Ashish Vaidya to serve as acting president.

Potter had been president since 2007.