Khator makes first visit to Clear Lake campus

By Ericka Paetz

On the first sun-filled day Clear Lake has seen in weeks, newly appointed University of Houston System chancellor and president of the University of Houston, conveyed to faculty and students her forecast for a brighter future for the institution.

During her first visit to the Clear Lake campus, Jan. 30, Renu Khator spoke first to faculty and staff members, introducing herself and her plan to guide the UH System toward national advancement, greater student success and competence in a globally competitive world.

The University's Garden Room appeared set to hold little more than 140 audience members, but attracted an overflowing turnout for the late morning speech, making it apparent that the Clear Lake campus' faculty were highly interested in what the new chancellor's vision holds in store for their community; a community that Khator said she already thinks of as her own.

"The second day itself, I felt that this was my place - this is my city. This is my state and my university," said Khator, of her arrival to Houston and the UH System.

After serving as provost for the University of South Florida in Tampa for five years, Khator began on Jan. 15, as the thirteenth president of UH, and the third person to hold a dual position as president and chancellor of the UH System, a position that she said she would fulfill through community interaction and a continuously progressive effort.

"I was very excited to come to a metropolitan system where the living lab is right around us," Khator said. "The problems are here, the solutions are here - creative ideas are here."

Those solutions, for Khator, will be provided through a collaborative endeavor involving all of the stakeholders in the university's realm of influence. Khator invited constructive and innovative advice with her "100 Days Survey."

The online survey is posted on the university's Web site www.uh.edu/100days, which Khator plans to assess after the first 100 days of her presidency to determine where the primary concerns rest within the universities' communities.

Khator welcomed feedback from the audience and some faculty members expressed concerns for issues such as the relationship between the individual institutions which comprise the UH System and the emphasis Khator has placed upon the rising status of UH Central as a research-based, "flagship" university.

"I would like to know how you see that mission effecting the other three campuses?" an audience member asked, "What will happen to us [at UHCL]."

Khator answered by saying that she planned to incorporate a "completely synergistic relationship," into the future operations of the four-school system, and added that the success of one, would be beneficial to all.

"When the water rises," she said, "all boats rise."

Following the speech, the audience flowed into Atrium I, where the chancellor greeted staff and faculty personally, but the question of the System's future spilled into the reception, where Anthony Jenkins, dean of students expressed his concerns regarding equal funding for all campuses and continued access for students.

"I hope that she follows through with her commitment to student services," Jenkins said, but added that Khator shared his vision for student success.

Khator's commitment to the students within the UH System was seemingly confirmed when the chancellor spoke later to members of the student body in the casual, couch-filled Student Lounge so that she could "feel the pulse" of UHCL.

"The life of any campus," Khator told them, "is the students."

Khator admitted to the audience that a university's success is dependent upon the success of its students, which entails specifically, equipping them with the skills needed to compete at a global level.

"I would not be happy if you just simply survive in the global economy," Khator told students. "You need to be the leaders - you need to be innovators ... creators."

Khator invited concerns and suggestions from the student audience, which ranged from online education and the PeopleSoft system, to a rise in tuition costs and international student affairs such as difficulty in obtaining internships.

"I am going to take the little rocks and separate them from the big rocks," she said, noting their concerns.

Leaders of the Student Government Association and representatives of various student organizations presented Khator with roses and other gifts in an enthusiastic show of appreciation for her visit to the UHCL campus.

Her visit seemed well-received by both faculty and students, and Khator promised to visit the Clear Lake campus again in the near future.