Paul L. Foster Family Foundation commits $2.5 million to back UTEP athletics move to Mountain West Conference

EL PASO, Texas - The Paul L. Foster Family Foundation has pledged a $2.5 million gift in support of UTEP Athletics as the University continues preparations to join the Mountain West Conference in July of 2026.

The transformative gift will play a crucial role in ensuring success on and off the playing field as the Miners enter a new era of UTEP Athletics. 

“There is clear and growing support for our move to the Mountain West Conference,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson. “I am grateful for the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation’s generous gift, which will help tremendously as we make this transition and bring back strong regional rivalries for El Paso fans.”

The latest pledge bolsters UTEP Athletics' comprehensive efforts to strengthen all men's and women's sports programs, upgrade facilities and ensure operational readiness leading into next year’s Mountain West Conference transition.

“UTEP’s announcement to join the Mountain West Conference is great news for the University as well as for the entire community,” said Paul Foster, President and a Director of the Foster Family Foundation. He continued, “I believe this move is a crucial step towards advancement of the University’s athletic programs, and my family’s Foundation is proud to support this effort.”

Foster said he believes the Mountain West Conference aligns UTEP with competitive sports programs that are found closer to home and allow Miner fans the opportunity to rekindle some old sports rivalries. “I remember going to games when I first got to El Paso 34 years ago, and it was great to watch the Miners compete against teams like Air Force, Wyoming, and New Mexico. It will be exciting to be able to do that again and I look forward to the positive impact UTEP’s move to the Mountain West Conference will have on UTEP athletes, students, and Miner fans across our El Paso community.”

"The Foster family has become synonymous with generosity in our community,” said UTEP Vice President and Director of Athletics Jim Senter. “Paul and Alejandra have a long history of making strategic investments in UTEP Athletics. Thanks to their kindness, we were able to construct a wonderful basketball practice center and engineer a beautiful renovation of the club level in our iconic Sun Bowl Stadium – with both facilities proudly bearing the Foster name. We thank the Foster family for their continued support of UTEP Athletics as we prepare to launch an exciting new era in the Mountain West Conference.”

Through its Mountain West Conference membership, UTEP will renew longstanding rivalries with Air Force, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming, while forging new matchups with fellow MW newcomers Grand Canyon and UC Davis.

The league will also enhance UTEP and El Paso’s visibility on the national level, none of which would be possible without the generosity of the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation.

The Paul L. Foster Family Foundation gift comes on the heels of a pledge of $2.5 million from the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation in December, bringing Mountain West transition commitments up to $5 million. 

About the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation
The Paul L. Foster Family Foundation was organized to support religious, scientific, literary, and educational endeavors by exempt charitable organizations.  For more information, visit paulfosterfamilyfoundation.com. 

About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college.

UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.