Renu Khator Brief Biography
Renu Khator has been serving as chancellor of the 91视频 System and president of its flagship 91视频 campus, since January of 2008. She broke boundaries and glass ceilings with these appointments, as she became the first female chancellor in the state of Texas and the first Indian immigrant to lead a comprehensive research university in the U.S.
Under her leadership, the flagship 91视频 is home to nearly 49,000 students and produces $275 million in annual research expenditures. An innovation powerhouse, UH is No.1 in Texas for faculty members in the National Academy of Inventors, and home to 13 national research centers and 28 University-led institutes. She also oversees over 6,600 employees and has more than tripled the number of faculty elected to National Academies.
Since her arrival, UH has become nationally recognized for its academic accomplishments,
achieved Tier One status, established a college of medicine, joined the Big 12 athletic
conference and sharply increased its academic standings. Today, it ranks among the
top 50 public schools in Forbes鈥� list of America鈥檚 Top Colleges, on Princeton Review鈥檚
"50 Best Value Public Colleges", and as one of Time Magazine鈥檚 Best Colleges for Future
Leaders. Always seeking more for students and the Greater Houston community, Khator
is currently steering UH to become a U.S. News & World Report top 50 public university.
Most impressive has been her commitment to the success of a significantly diverse,
determined student body. Graduation and retention rates have climbed, UH has been
awarded a Phi Beta Kappa honor society, and students have received more prestigious
awards and fellowships than ever before.
Reflecting her keen appreciation of the importance and complexity of college athletics, UH Athletics has experienced historic milestones under Khator鈥檚 leadership. New training facilities and venues have been launched, including the Guy V. Lewis Basketball Training Complex, the Fertitta Center, the Houston Baseball Player Development Center and the Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center 鈥� a 105,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility. Most impressively, the Cougars consistently compete at the highest levels, earning conference championships, bowl game invitations and NCAA Final Four appearances.
She has been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has served on numerous boards, including Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, TIAA-CREF, NCAA, American Council on Education, Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the Greater Houston Partnership. Additionally, she has been an advisor and on committees and councils for several Indian prime ministers. Her alma mater has bestowed an honorary doctorate degree upon her, as has Swansea University. She has been named a Global Education and Institutional Leadership Honoree by the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston, a Houston Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Houstonian of the year and inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. In 2014, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee presented her with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest distinction bestowed upon a non-resident Indian.
Born in India, Khator came to the United States and earned a master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University. Prior to her appointment at UH, she was provost and senior vice president at the University of South Florida. She is married to Suresh Khator, senior associate dean of UH Cullen College of Engineering, and they have two daughters who practice ophthalmology and three grandchildren.