In a nationally televised interview with C-SPAN, UH President and UH System Chancellor Renu Khator shared experiences of her journey to Houston; her thoughts on the state of the University, higher education and politics; and her love for I Love Lucy.
Aired Sunday and conducted by C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb, the interview began with a discussion of Khator’s childhood in her native India, particularly her arranged marriage, which she initially opposed fearing it would interrupt her education.
"I went on a hunger strike to protest it," Khator said.
Following a stint at the University of South Florida, her ambition led to UH.
"They told me they picked me because I had fire in my belly," Khator said.
Khator discusssed what she believes are the merits of the University and how she plans to improve it. One such plan concerns the increase of federal grants: UH gets approximately one-sixth of the amount of federal money as the University of Texas and Texas A’M.
"Either you need to have a big engineering program… or you need to have a medical school or a big footprint in the healthcare area," Khator said. "But now, that’s our future going ahead.
"(Houston) is the energy capital of the world. That’s what we’re going to build, an energy university of the future," Khator said.
Khator said UH was no longer a commuter university, despite figures that show only 12 percent of students live on campus. When questioned about rising national tuition costs, Khator said UH remains reasonable in its rates, although a 5.9 percent increase in tuition is in place for the 2008-2009 year.
In an assortment of questions that also touched upon her family, India’s rising economy and her penchant for watching I Love Lucy to learn English, Khator also discussed how UH’s diversity helped her feel welcome.
"This is the face of a future university of America," she said. "I’m a woman. I am of a different color. I’m of different faith… but they embraced me simply because I think the University and the city both celebrate diversity."
