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UALR considers Creighton officialPETE PERKINSARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Creighton associate athletic director Chris Peterson met with UALR staff and faculty and Little Rock community leaders Tuesday concerning the open athletic director's position. Peterson, 48, has been at Creighton in Omaha, Neb., since 1997, where he oversees fund raising, sales and marketing. A 1975 Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate, Peterson began his marketing career in college athletics at Huron (S.D.) College in 1978. He worked as an athletic administrator at Pacific, Kansas State and Nebraska before he took the job at Creighton. "After visiting with coaches and staff, and visiting with [UALR Chancellor Charles Hathaway], I'm even more impressed with UALR," Peterson said. "Everyone who met him was very positive," UALR vice chancellor Bill Walker said. "Everyone seemed very impressed, and encouraged him to give strong consideration to coming to work for us." Walker said Peterson was among several candidates UALR would consider. He said he did not think another candidate would be interviewed on campus this week. "We felt Chris was qualified to take the job before we invited him here," Walker said. "The question is, is it a good fit for Chris and his family, and is it a good fit for the community. That's what we're trying to find out." Walker said UALR hoped to name a new athletic director within two weeks. UALR began its search when Rick Mello resigned on June 16 to become athletic director at Florida International. Peterson said the long tenure of many in UALR's athletic administration "intrigued" him from the start. "I'm extremely impressed with the longevity of most of the people in the administration," Peterson said. "It speaks very highly of their feelings for the institution." Assistant athletic directors Richard Turner and Van Compton are set to begin their 20th and 15th years, respectively, on UALR's staff. Associate athletic director Gary Hogan has been on staff for 14 years. Peterson said his background in marketing should make him a good fit for UALR. "I'd say the reason Arkansas-Little Rock has an interest in Chris Peterson is that my experience is external, in sales, from the marketing side," Peterson said. "Arkansas-Little Rock is no different from 98 percent of all [NCAA] Division I institutions. We just need to find more ways to create more revenue to try to enhance our programs for our coaches."
This article was published on Wednesday, August 9, 2000RETURN to main pageCopyright and permissions Copyright © 2000, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. |
