RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 2, 2003) - Chris Gage, a collegiate sports leader for more than 25 years, has joined The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) as director of athletics.

UTD Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and External Relations Dr. Mary Sias said that as part of his duties Gage, former director of athletics at Colorado State University-Pueblo, will oversee the university's six women's and six men's sports teams, which are composed of what Sias called "academically gifted and highly competitive scholar athletes."

"We are fortunate as a university to have a strong faction of smart students who love to compete. It's a unique combination," Sias said. "Bringing Chris Gage into the mix will allow us take those athletes to the next level competitively and academically, thereby raising the stature of UTD athletics."

Gage will be responsible for the development of an aggressive and respected intercollegiate athletic program. His responsibilities will include selection and management of coaching and administrative staff, development and management of the annual operating budget, fundraising, marketing and promotion, assurance of compliance with conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulations, maintenance and scheduling of athletic facilities in collaboration with UTD's recreational sports director, supervision of athletic events and oversight of recruitment and player-retention programs.

Gage also will be charged with helping the UTD Comets add their first volleyball team, which is tentatively scheduled to take the court in fall 2004.

Gage joins UTD at a time when the university's athletic program is on the rise. After four years as a provisional member of the NCAA, UTD last year was officially welcomed as a NCAA Division III school. Since then, the university has placed more than 80 athletes on conference all-academic teams, has had several teams - including men's golf and men's and women's soccer - ranked among the top 25 nationally in their respective sports, has hosted a regional NCAA tournament and has had its first athlete - Comets soccer star Trent Abbott - named first-team All-America.

Division III is made up of 424 active member colleges and universities, and UTD is a member of the American Southwest Conference.

" I am committed to fostering competitive athletes and even stronger students," Gage said. "I look forward to this new relationship, to being in Texas and to helping UTD athletics continue their move into the winners circle."

UTD does not field a football team, a situation that is rare in Texas for a university of more than 13,000 students. But it competes vigorously in men's and women's basketball, soccer, tennis, cross-country, golf and men's baseball and women's softball.

While at the CSU-Pueblo, a Division II school, Gage led one of the most successful individual and corporate fundraising campaigns in the history of the college. He has worked at such institutions as The University of Texas at San Antonio, where he was senior associate athletic director for external relations, Eastern New Mexico University and Drake University, among others. He is a member of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics.

Gage received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from East Texas State University, now Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Gage replaces Mary Walters, who has served in the UTD athletic department for more than 25 years. Walters currently is director of student activities at the university.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.