Eli Capilouto (born August 22, 1949) is an American academic. He serves as the 12th president of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

. He was elected president by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees in 2011, after serving as provost of the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1969 and part of the University of Alabama System, UAB has grown to be the state's largest employer, with more than ...

(UAB). Under his leadership, the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

's flagship and

land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

university has grown from $2.7 billion to $6.8 billion in total operations and has gained significant momentum in fulfilling its multi-faceted mission of teaching, research, service and health care.

Early life and education

Capilouto is a native of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. He obtained his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

in Tuscaloosa. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine and

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

at UAB. He joined the UAB faculty in 1975. In 1991, Capilouto received a doctorate in

health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(archived 5 February 2011) According ...

and management from

Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school at Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. It was named after Hong Kong entrepreneur Chan Tseng-hsi in 2014 following a US$350 ...

Academic and administrative career

Capilouto served as dean of the UAB School of Public Health from 1994 to 2001 before he returned to his research and faculty appointment as professor. He was named acting provost in 2002, and he assumed the post permanently in 2005. On May 4, 2011, Capilouto was selected to succeed Lee Todd, Jr., the eleventh president of the University of Kentucky (UK). He was hired under a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $500,000, plus $125,000 in benefits and a possible bonus of up to $50,000. During his time at UK, Capilouto has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of students and the

commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. Under his leadership, UK-PURPOSE (Plan for Unprecedented Research, Purposeful and Optimal Service and Education) was released in 2021 as UK's

strategic plan Strategic planning is the activity undertaken by an organization through which it seeks to define its future direction and makes decision making, decisions such as resource allocation aimed at achieving its intended goals. "Strategy" has many def ...

. It prioritizes five principles: # Putting Students First # Taking Care of Our People # Inspiring Ingenuity # Ensuring Greater Trust, Transparency and Accountability # Bringing Together Many People; One Community Capilouto has led expansionary efforts in improving campus infrastructure, health care, research and the university

budget A budget is a calculation plan, usually but not always financial plan, financial, for a defined accounting period, period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including tim ...

. Since assuming his position, the budget has grown by more than $4 billion. During his tenure, employees have received pay raises nearly every year, and tuition and mandatory fees have increased, on average, below

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...

for the past four years. Capilouto is committed to revitalizing the university's campus. Since he arrived, the university has invested $4 billion in infrastructure. In recent years, UK launched UK LEADS (Leveraging Economic Affordability for Developing Success) to retain students who would otherwise have to leave due to financial burdens. This innovative approach to recruitment and retention was awarded the EDGE Commendation for Innovation in Undergraduate Education. Capilouto announced the Kentucky Can Campaign in 2018 which has, in large part, funded this initiative. The Kentucky Can Campaign has raised more than $2.1 billion towards the university's endowment. Capilouto has emphasized the university's

mission as vital. In 2020, he established the vice president of land-grant engagement. This effort promotes engagement throughout campus and the state, particularly through its Cooperative Extension Service in all 120 Kentucky counties. The university's commitment to research and discovery grows every year. He designated eight research priority areas (Cancer; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes & Obesity; Energy; Neuroscience; Substance Use Disorder; Diversity and Inclusion; and Materials Science) as a focused attempt to address Kentucky's biggest challenges. Under Capilouto's leadership the university and medical facilities have received many national awards and rankings. In 2023,

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

ranked UK as the best employer in Kentucky and ranked as the 6th best large employer in the nation. Additionally, in 2023, UK's Markey Cancer Center became the first and only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the state. Also, UK has been ranked in the top 30 of the Directors’ Cup for 11 straight years (not including 2019–20). Leaning on his background in epidemiology and health policy and management, Capilouto in collaboration with the university's provost led the START (Screening, Testing and Tracing, to Accelerate Restart and Transition) Team. They worked intensely to reimagine UK's approach to education, research, service and care amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In January 2021, the START Team mobilized

Kroger Field Kroger Field, also known as Commonwealth Stadium, is a stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, located on the campus of the University of Kentucky that primarily serves as the home field for the Kentucky Wildcats football team. The stad ...

as a

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

clinic administering nearly 250,000 doses.

Controversy

In 2017, the university sued its student newspaper, '' The Kentucky Kernel'', to appeal an open records dispute with the Kentucky Attorney General regarding a sexual harassment case involving students and a faculty member. The judge upheld the appeal, stating that the student records in the case are protected under the federal

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA or the Buckley Amendment) is a United States federal law that governs the access to educational information and records by public entities such as potential employers, publicly funded ...

(FERPA). The newspaper appealed the decision, and in 2021, the

Kentucky Supreme Court The Kentucky Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Prior to its creation by constitutional amendment in 1975, the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. The Kentucky Court of Ap ...

ruled in favor of the student newspaper. In 2020, the university furloughed 1,700 employees during the

. Capilouto proposed giving 10 percent of his salary for the 2020–21 academic year to the employee assistance fund established by the university's Department of Human Resources to support the furloughed employees, and it was approved the UK Board of Trustees.

Personal life

Capilouto is married to Mary Lynne Capilouto, who is also a Doctor of Dental Medicine and former dean of the School of Dentistry at UAB. After serving as dean from 1997 to 2004, she retired, returned to part-time teaching and practicing

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

and currently holds the rank of dean

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

at the school. She engages in a variety of community and philanthropic works. The couple is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and has one daughter, Emily.

References

External links

President's page at uky.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capilouto, Eli Living people 1949 births Presidents of the University of Kentucky People from Montgomery, Alabama University of Alabama at Birmingham faculty American dentistry academics Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni University of Alabama alumni Jewish American academics Jews from Alabama