ISU Athletic Director Gene Smith will receive a 21 percent pay increase, making him one of the highest-paid athletic directors in the Big 12.

Smith’s current salary is $164,780 per year. His base pay is $138,780, and he also receives $26,000 from the ISU Foundation for speaking engagements and fund-raisers.

With the increase, Smith will now make $200,000 per year. The Board of Regents approved the raise last week.

Vice President for External Affairs Murray Blackwelder said the increase in Smith’s salary was a market adjustment.

“I want to make sure we’re competitive in the marketplace, so that this is a marketplace adjustment in addition to a performance review,” he said.

Smith has been a major contributor to the success that ISU athletics has recently experienced, Blackwelder said.

“I think he gets a lot of credit to where we have taken the Athletic Department, and that’s the reason I’d like him to stay,” he said.

Smith has served as athletic director at Iowa State since 1993.

—Justin Kendall