By Associated Press
Lexington, KY – University of Kentucky trustees have chosen Eli Capilouto, provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham as their finalist to become the school's next president. The choice culminates a long search for the next leader of a school striving for Top 20 academic status in lean times. Capilouto, 61, was introduced as the preferred candidate after a conclusive round of closed-door meetings where trustees interviewed the final pool of candidates at a northern Kentucky hotel. Capilouto, provost at the University of Alabama at Birmingham since 2005 is in line to succeed outgoing UK President Lee T. Todd Jr., who announced last September that he is retiring in June after a decade of leading the university. UK has about 28,000 students and a nearly $2.5 billion budget.