After nearly three months, UTEP finally announced their new Director of Athletics. Jim Senter, who has spent the last three years as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at The Citadel, was named UTEP's new Director of Athletics this morning. He will be formally introduced at a press conference Monday, November 27th at 2 p.m. at the Larry K. Durham Center.

Russell K. Pace
Russell K. Pace
loading...

"We’re delighted to welcome Jim Senter to the UTEP family,” UTEP President Dr. Diana Natalicio said in a press release. "He brings to El Paso extensive leadership experience in athletics administration and fundraising, most recently at The Citadel, where for the past three years, student-athletes have achieved excellence both on the playing field and in the classroom, and successful fundraising has enhanced the college athletics experience for them and their fans. His previous experience at the University of Idaho, San Diego State University and the University of Colorado gives him a rich set of perspectives on the complexities of intercollegiate athletics in the 21st century. I thank Bob Stull for his nearly 20 years of dedicated efforts to strengthen the foundation for a sustainable athletics program at UTEP, and I thank the search committee for working diligently to find the best candidate to usher in a new era of UTEP Athletics. We’re excited about UTEP Athletics’ future under Jim Senter’s direction."

Senter, who replaces Bob Stull, is excited for the opportunity to take over the Miners athletic department. "I would like to thank Dr. Natalicio for this opportunity," Senter said in the school release. "I look forward to building upon the work that Coach Stull and the administration have accomplished. There are numerous factors that you need to ensure success in athletics, and Bob has put many of them in place during his time as the AD. I cannot wait to get to campus, acclimate to the city of El Paso and invest in the community. I am a big believer that ‘every person makes a difference’ and we will work tirelessly to engage the community to be a difference maker for UTEP Athletics."

Senter and Chris Park emerged as the two finalists after Dr. Lisa Campos withdrew from consideration to take the Director of Athletics position at UTSA. Campos, who many felt was the top target for UTEP to replace Stull, had met with UTSA early last week prior to her on-campus interview at UTEP. Instead of promoting Park to Director of Athletics, Dr. Natalicio opted to go in a different direction with Senter, who has no prior relationship with Stull or UTEP.

Many UTEP fans and donors had been expressing frustration with the football program, men's basketball program, lack of success in many of the olympic sports, and the overall direction of the athletic department in general. Senter will give UTEP a new direction, which starts with a new head coach hire for football. Mike Price will coach his last game as interim head coach on Saturday when the Miners play in Birmingham against UAB.

More From 600 ESPN El Paso