Renu Khator is the eighth chancellor of the University of Houston System (UH System) and the thirteenth president of the University of Houston. In 2008, 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.

Career

Prior to moving to the United States, Khator earned a bachelor's degree from the Kanpur University in 1973 in liberal arts. Moving soon thereafter, she attended Purdue University and received a Master of Arts in political science and a Doctor of Philosophy in political science and public administration in 1975 and 1985, respectively. Beginning in 1985, Khator began a 22-year career affiliation with the University of South Florida. She served in various positions, culminating in her position as provost and senior vice president of the university. On October 15, 2007, Khator emerged as the sole-finalist for the vacant dual-position as chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of the University of Houston. On November 5, 2007, she was confirmed by the University of Houston System Board of Regents for the dual-position and officially took office on January 15, 2008, and became the third person to hold a dual position of University of Houston System chancellor and University of Houston president.

Board and committee memberships

Khator sits or has served on the following public and private boards:

Research interest

Khator has published five books as well as various chapters and articles on global public administration, environmental issues and South Asian politics.

The University of Houston System

As chancellor of the UH System, Khator oversees four institutions of higher learning serving close to 76,000 students. Composed of UH, UH-Downtown, UH-Clear Lake and UH-Victoria, the UH System has an annual budget over $2.07 billion and results in a $6 billion-plus impact on the Greater Houston area each year.

The University of Houston

As president of the University of Houston, Khator is the CEO of the UH System flagship university. The oldest and largest institution in the UH System, UH enrolls approximately 46,000 students and awards nearly 11,000 degrees each year.

Personal life

Khator was born in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh (India). Through a traditional arranged marriage, she married her husband, Suresh, in 1974. Suresh—another Purdue graduate—holds a doctorate in engineering, and is a professor and associate dean of the UH's Cullen College of Engineering. The Khators have two daughters, Pooja and Parul, who are both ophthalmologists, and three grandchildren. As chancellor of UH System and president of UH, she takes residence in the Wortham House provided for her and her family in the Broadacres neighborhood of Houston.

Notable awards

Khator has received many awards over the length of her career. She was named Houstonian of the Year, inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, and received the Excellence in Leadership Awards from the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Year Award from the Association of College Unions International and the President's Award from the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators. Khator also was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman from the former President Pranab Mukerjee of India, the highest honor given to non-resident Indians. Purdue University honored Khator with a Doctor of Social Sciences degree, honoris causa, and Swansea University awarded her with a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa. In 2020, Khator has been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences for her contributions in the fields of education and academic leadership. In 2023, she was named a Global Education and Institutional Leadership Honoree by the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston and a Houston Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Lifetime Achievement Award winner.