The University of Houston Chancellor is a role model for the community.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: December proved to be an eventful month for University of Houston (UH) chancellor and president Renu Khator, who was nominated to a prestigious position for one of the country’s largest financial entities, and received a highly sought-after honor by a local economic organization, both within days of one another.
Khator, 58, was named the Deputy Chair of the Dallas, Texas branch of the US Federal Reserve on December 13. She will serve under chairman Mike Ullman, who is currently the CEO of J.C. Penney Co. Inc. Both Khator and Ullman were appointed to take office in 2014, and will be in charge of running one of twelve Federal Reserve branches located throughout the country.
The Federal Reserve branches each have a board consisting of nine members, and annually choose a chair, deputy chair, and three local directors to oversee operations for a one-year term. Khator has been on the board of members for the Dallas Federal Reserve branch since 2011.
Days later, it was announced that Khator will receive the 2014 Quasar Award for Exceptional Leadership in Economic Development, a key award given out by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP).
Khator received the award for being “an outstanding individual who has contributed greatly to the economic wealth and diversity of the Bay Area Houston region,” as stated by a press release put out by the University of Houston. It will also be in recognition of Khator’s work as president of UH to elevate the school’s standing and make it a tier-one higher education institution.
In pursuit of that goal, Khator donated $100,000 to UH back in October to create The Renu and Suresh Khator UH Tier One Scholarship Endowment, to attract the best and brightest talent to the university. Because of its tier one status, the Khator Scholarship Endowment can only accept students with a combined math and reading SAT score of 1300, are in the top 10% of their graduating class academically, and are applying to attend undergraduate classes the fall immediately following their high school graduation.
The BAHEP “engages approximately 270 investor companies, business professionals, local governments, and educational institutions in southeast Texas to bring about prosperity and a high quality of life for the 800,000 people who live and work in the region,” according to literature on the organization’s website, “utilizing a collaborative committee structure.”
Khator is the 13th president of the University of Houston System of colleges, the first female president in the school’s history, and the first Indian American to be the president of a major research university anywhere in the United States. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1973 from the University of Kanpur, her Master’s degree in political science in 1975, and her Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science and public administration in 1985, the latter two from Purdue University.
In 1985, she began working for the University of South Florida. She would stay there for 22 years, ultimately serving as provost and senior vice-president of the University at the time of her departure. She was confirmed to her current position at UH on November 5th, 2007.
She lives in Houston with her husband, Suresh, who also attended Purdue University with her and holds a Ph.D. in engineering. They have two daughters, Pooja and Parul, who are both ophthalmologists.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com