GECU Makes $29.1 Million Gift to Support Don Haskins Center, UTEP Athletics
UTEP Announces GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center Name
EL PASO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2026) – The University of Texas at El Paso has received $29.1 million commitment from GECU to support enhancements to Don Haskins Center and the University’s athletics program. At a ceremony today celebrating the gift, UTEP President Heather Wilson announced a new name for El Paso’s largest indoor venue: GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center.
The gift is the largest gift ever made to UTEP Athletics and the second largest ever in University history.
“From graduations to iconic concerts to epic sports rivalries, almost every family in El Paso has a special memory at the GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center,” said Wilson. “We are grateful and honored GECU is partnering with us to enhance such an important community resource and for their support of our student athletes.”
“Our new collaboration with UTEP is about honoring the past while investing in the future," said Alex Rascón, GECU president and CEO. “For more than five decades GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center has been a place where our community comes together to celebrate, make history, create memories and support one another. We are proud to stand alongside UTEP in preserving Coach Haskins' legacy while helping ensure this iconic venue continues serving our region for generations to come.”
The gift announcement took place at GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center, attended by Gregory Watters, GECU chairman of the board; Rascón; The University of Texas System Chancellor John Zerwas, MD; members of Coach Don Haskins family; Wilson and others.
The gift will be used to enhance GECU Arena at the Don Haskins and other UTEP athletics facilities and to provide general support for UTEP athletics.
“The GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center is and will continue to be a place where legends unfold, and it needs to be maintained accordingly,” said Jim Senter, vice president of athletics. “These funds will be used for a wide variety of projects designed to improve the community and fan experience and maintain the facility.”
Senter said the partnership will also help UTEP Athletics be competitive in the Mountain West Conference by supporting recruitment and retention of student-athletes, creating life skills programs, making nutrient-dense meal plans for athletes and funding staff development. Additionally, the gift will support financial literacy education for UTEP students.
The naming of GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center is set for the next 15 years.
Last Updated on September 28, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published September 28, 2026
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
