By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees has voted to award school president Eli Capilouto a $200,000 pay raise “to send a signal that we are strongly behind this leader and his vision for UK and Kentucky.”
The announcement was made by Board of Trustees Chair Robert Vance, in an email sent to the entire campus community, in which he noted Capilouto is now the second longest-serving president of a Southeastern Conference school.
UK President Eli Capilouto’s $200,000 raise brought his salary to more than $1 million. (Photo from Kentucky Today)
In it he said, “The Board voted to increase the president’s base pay about $200,000 to $1,035,646. That number represents publicly available data for the average of the two highest-paid SEC public university presidents, plus 10 percent. It is the first time we have substantively adjusted his base pay in about six years, the last time we embarked upon a strategic plan for UK.”
Vance said they also added annual retention payments to his contract, which they modified so there is always a minimum of three years remaining on his term.
“Finally,” Vance said, “at such time as Dr. Capilouto steps down as president, he will remain employed for an additional two years to continue work on behalf of UK at the discretion of the Board.”
Capilouto became the 12th President of the University of Kentucky on July 1, 2011, according to UK. During that time, UK has grown from $2.7 billion to $5.1 billion in total operations, and has gained significant momentum in fulfilling its multi-faceted mission of teaching, research, service and health care.
A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Capilouto previously served as provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and dean of the UAB School of Public Health.
He holds several undergraduate and graduate degrees from schools within the University of Alabama system, a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from UAB and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto (D.M.D.) a former Dean of the UAB School of Dentistry, have one daughter.
