NAU director of athletics Jim Fallis has agreed to a one-year contract extension that will keep him in Flagstaff until at least June 2011.

Specifics of the extension were not released by the university.

"I'm very appreciative that the president has seen fit to extend my contract by another year," Fallis said in his office Wednesday. "If you're doing a good job and you're doing things right, things will take care of themselves."

The extension is still awaiting Fallis' signature, but it has been approved by the Arizona Board of Regents.

"It has to go through all sorts of hoops," Fallis said. "Basically, it's finalized now though. I need to get it signed and get it over to the president's office. ABOR has approved the language in the one-year contract."

Fallis has been at NAU since 2004, when he left Northern Colorado to come to Flagstaff. He signed a three-year extension in 2007 for $130,000 a year, which is the contract he's still under.

The extension this time is just for one year, which Fallis said is because of the struggling economy.

"I understand in these economic times the concern with multi-year contracts," Fallis said. "I'm very excited to be here and continue my duties."

Fallis has had his hands in a number of projects since taking over in 2004 and is about to embark on possibly his biggest project yet, when the Walkup Skydome shuts down in December for renovations.

The dome is set to be closed for nearly eight months while the renovation will address fire and life safety deficiencies such as handrails, wheelchair spaces, fire suppression and seating, in addition to electrical, mechanical and water issues. There's also a new press box set to be built.

"With everything going on, it's a very exciting time for us," Fallis said.

Fallis has seen his department enjoy academic success recently as NAU student-athletes compiled a 3.16 grade point average for the fall 2009 semester, which was the highest mark since 1997. He's also seen more than 300 NAU student-athletes maintain a 3.0 or better cumulative mark in 10 of the past 11 semesters.

Under Fallis' guidance, NAU has ranked among the top 100 athletic departments in the United States Sports Academy Directors Cup standings three times. On the field, NAU has won 25 Big Sky Conference championships and seven individual national titles. NAU has also won the Big Sky Conference Men's All-Sports title two times under Fallis.

Daniel Berk can be reached at dberk@azdailysun.com or 556-2251.