FAYETTEVILLE -- Most employees in the University of Arkansas athletic department will see their salaries reduced starting Sept. 1 in a belt-tightening move brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and its collateral issues, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has learned.
The salary reductions, topped by a 15% cut for Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek, are expected to result in savings of about $3 million.
The pay cuts will be in effect for the rest of the 2020-21 fiscal year, said UA senior associate athletic director Kevin Trainor, meaning they are scheduled to end on June 30, 2021.
"As part of our continued efforts to mitigate financial losses resulting from the pandemic and minimize its impact on the overall experience of our student-athletes, we have implemented salary reductions beginning on September 1 for the vast majority of administrators, coaches and staff members within our department," Yurachek said in a statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.