UTEP Athletics Director Jim Senter has signed a contract extension that will keep him in the Sun City through August 2026. Additionally, Senter’s title has been elevated to Vice President and Director of Athletics.
The contract extension and title bump for Senter was approved by the University of Texas System Board of Regents last week. The extension spans five years and includes a base salary of $350,295 with performance incentives that are customary for the industry and Division I athletic directors.
“I am honored to receive the additional title of Vice President and this five-year extension,” Senter said. “I am grateful for the competitive salary that Dr. Wilson offered me and the stability of knowing I will be here to lead this department. We have a lot of work to do, and we are going to surprise folks in Conference USA as our teams compete for and win championships this year. My family and I love El Paso and the great people in this community.”
Since being named UTEP’s Director of Athletics in November of 2017, Senter has been responsible for hiring six current head coaches for Miner programs, including football (Dana Dimel), men’s basketball (Joe Golding), rifle (Austin Litherland), soccer (Kathryn Balogun), volleyball (Ben Wallis) and softball (T.J. Hubbard).
“I’m very pleased that Jim Senter has signed on to stay with us here at UTEP,” said Heather Wilson, President of the University. “He has provided strong leadership of the athletic department as we seek to compete for and win championships and host great athletic events for Miner fans.”
Senter has engaged Miner supporters far and wide by organizing a series of Town Hall meetings across El Paso and establishing UTEP’s first-ever Fan Council. He also ushered in sweeping changes to the iconic Sun Bowl Stadium, with the addition of indoor and outdoor club seating, loge boxes, suites, the GECU Terrace, Hunt Family Sky Lounge and Paul and Alejandra Foster Tower.
Athletically, highlights from the Senter era have included the women’s cross country team capturing its first conference championship, women’s track and field winning the Conference USA Indoor title, and women’s golf posting three consecutive tournament victories for the first time in school history. The men's and women's basketball, football, soccer and volleyball squads have all exhibited significant improvement under his leadership.
Off the field, a school-record 202 UTEP student-athletes earned spots on the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll at the conclusion of the 2021 spring semester, while 71 -- also a new school standard -- were recipients of C-USA Academic Medals with GPA’s of 3.75 or better.