FAYETTEVILLE – University of Arkansas Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz announced today that Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long will no longer serve in his position effective today and that he has appointed Associate Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Senior Associate Athletics Director Julie Cromer Peoples as interim director of athletics.
The university will honor the provisions of Long’s contract, which currently runs through June 30, 2022.
Peoples brings extensive experience to the interim director of Athletics role. She came to Arkansas in 2014, after successful tenures at Indiana University and the NCAA. Among other duties, as a member of the department’s executive leadership team, Peoples directs the sport administrator group responsible for day-to day administration of 19 varsity sports and serves as liaison to the Southeastern Conference. She has been recognized for her outstanding work at both the institutional and national levels. A native of the region, Peoples holds a master’s degree from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University.
The university will identify and announce members of a search committee, representative of the university, to assist Chancellor Steinmetz in the search for a new vice chancellor and director of athletics.
