While UK has been aware of President Lee Todd’s resignation, the institutions from which presidential candidates hail were unaware the candidate was considering leaving.

Eli Capilouto, the provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was announced as the final candidate for UK’s 12th president Sunday afternoon, which came not only as a surprise to UK but also to UAB.

Amy Kilpatrick, the adviser of UAB’s student newspaper The Kaleidoscope, said nobody knew about the possibility of Capilouto leaving.

“I’m a little surprised, but there has been a lot of changes happening at UAB,” she said.

In the past year, UAB has consolidated some of its schools and has been “reorganizing and realigning,” Kilpatrick said. “There has been significant changes on campus.”

Kilpatrick said students are busy either taking finals or cleaning up from recent tornado damage. She said this was the first news she had heard about Capilouto possibly leaving.

“Eli has been with us for a long time, through ups and downs … he’s always stood tall in leadership,” she said.

In an email to the Kernel, UAB President Carol Z. Garrison, Ph.D., commented on the recent news.

“Eli has a superb record at UAB as a faculty member, dean and provost. I am confident he will do an outstanding job as president of the University of Kentucky,” Garrison said.

Kilpatrick reiterated Garrison’s thoughts.

“He has been a wonderful provost, has been a great provost to the campus and given great service to the state,” Kilpatrick said.