Administration

Board of Regents approves Khator’s raise

President Renu Khator is the first female chancellor in the UH system. | Daily Cougar File Photo

The University of Houston Board of Regents unanimously approved a $75,000 raise for President Renu Khator on August 17, her first since her three year tenure. Khator had declined being considered for a pay raise in the past.

“She has served for (almost three years) with no pay adjustment,” Regent Welcome Wilson Sr. said. “At the end of one year she declined to be considered for a raise because of the economy in January 2009.  In January 2010 she declined again because we had been unable to give raises to the faculty.”

As soon as the Regents and the UH system were able to afford faculty raises, Khator accepted one for herself.

“We were able to give raises to the faculty effective Sept. 1 this year,” Wilson said. “In the last month, I insisted that she accept a raise because her pay was out of line with her responsibility and her performance.”

Khator serves as both Chancellor and President. UH is the only system in Texas that has only one person filling both positions; all other Texas systems have separate individuals for the two positions.

“Having observed the UH leadership over six decades, I think our system is right,” Wilson said. “Her new salary is in line both within Texas and nationally.”

This pay raise increases Khator’s salary to $500,000, excluding deferred compensation.

Khator will receive an additional $200,000 of deferred compensation upon completing an additional three years with the university, Wilson said.

Khator’s accomplishments and contributions include motivating the faculty, the staff, and the students. She also hires world-class faculty members and researchers. During her term there has been an increase in both research expenditures and research awards. The graduation rate has risen by 10 percent and expenditures have decreased, while avoiding a decline in quality.

She has had outstanding hires for Provost, deans, and athletic directors, Wilson said.

“I could go on and on,” he said. “My first responsibility when I became chairman of the Regents three years ago was to hire a new president/chancellor.  Hiring her is my proudest achievement as chairman.”

21 Comments

  • This raise for Dr. Khator is outrageous and shows how disconnected the board of regents are with the realities on campus.

    We are experiencing significant cuts. The notion that she has not received a salary raise in "almost three years" is preposterous. Year 1 was her first year when she has already negotiated one of the top salaries in the nation – one does not get an additional raise on the first day of the job! Year 2: with the exception of "retention raises" for a few faculty, faculty and staff did not receive any raise. Giving her 18% $75K raise is unacceptable at a time the university and the students are struggling with finances.

    Dr. Khator seems to take credit for many things that have nothing to do with her performance. Enrollment is going up everywhere in Texas. Student satisfaction with UH services is low; central administration has not fixed this problem.

    She seems to take credit for "record high donations", yet UH failed in the TRIP competition lagging significantly behind UT Dallas and Texas Tech in fundraising for state matching dollars. A UH alumnus state senator who sponsored this bill scolded the board of regents and the president for this failure; yet neither the board of regents nor the president seem to take responsibility. Instead, they are applauding each other!

    Increased research funding has nothing to do with her performance; these are fruits of long-term investments by prior administrations; nothing she has done here during her tenure can be tied to increased research productivity. In fact, mismanagement of research space both here on campus as well as at the "Energy Park" has been a hinderance to research productivity. She claims the establishment of research park as an accomplishment; however, there is no mention that it will take a multi-million dollar investment for make this space usable; money they do NOT have.

    Dr. Khator is one of the highest paid and compensated (use of car, use of house, deferred compensation, retirement pay, club dues) presidents in the nation and there is nothing in her performance to justify such an outrageous raise.

    Those university presidents who understand the tough economic situation faced by parents and students gave back significantly from their salaries. Examples: J. B. Machen (Univ. of Florida) donated $285,000; J.R. Ramsey (Univ. of Louisville) donated $314,858; L. Todd (U. of Kentucky) turned down $168,000 bonus; G.D. Forsee (U. of Missouri system) turned down $100,000 bonus, and the list goes on…

  • In Texas I don't think we turn down a pay raise unless we are locked-up and under the care a mental health professional.

    Pretty good motivation actually for students to finish their education as obviously, a formal education is most certainly worth the effort.

  • What is disproportionately wrong here is that UH staff took a furlough day last year and is almost certain it will happen again this year. All for tier one and cuts from the state. If she truly wanted a raise she should have taken 3% like most staff. If she is truly in it for the long hall she shouldn’t risk the resentment of the people she needs to get there. Her increase is well above the majority of salaries.

    The country needs to see good leadership these days. One that unities nit divides. There is clearly an economic motive as most of us can’t imagine the extra perks she receives. Plus let’s not forget the her husband is on staff as well.

    This is not the only outrageous salary for contribution. Citizens should research Texas higher ed salaries. They are posted online at another newspaper site

    I hope she stays long enough to prove the raise was worth it.

  • Wow, i am amazed at the things i am reading. How long have all of you been going to UH? Has any of you noticed the positive things that have happened since she has come. This campus has gone from a complete dead zone where no one gave 2 you-know-whats about UH, to a place where many of the students are now wearing the school colors, and are happier about being here. Now obviously i can't speak for everyone, but to ignore the fact that the school profile has raised significantly over the past few years is a tad of a reach in my opinion. She declined two straight pay raises because the faculty couldn't get any at the time, but now she is getting a well deserved award for her contributions to the university. But i guess only time can truly tell whether you all are right about her running the school into the ground, or i am right in my notion about her setting the groundwork for even better things.

  • There are certain staff/faculty members at University of Houston who makes LESS than $60,000 a year despite having a phD. Renu Khator gets paid 10 times more than them. There may have been positive changes at UH because of the president, but in my sincere opinion, a $500,000 salary is insane! If they're going to add another $200,000 dollars after two years, there's something seriously wrong with our current system. Any ways, where does all this money come from?

  • Also, I think the first comment should be posted as an article on the daily cougar. That's a great rebuttal for this current article that praises an outrageous raise!

  • So wait.
    She runs us into the ground.

    We take massive budget cuts that result in my advisor being "downsized" and the lab I work in being stripped of equipment.

    She sells us out in backroom deals to Coke, Xerox and Today's Business Systems, meaning we have to buy substandard supplies that cost twice as much as what we used to get from decent supply companies all in the name of "the university" supposedly getting a kickback that we who actually have to work will never see. And I can't even buy a Dr. Pepper on campus.

    The full-time staff have to take furlough days to pay for her f***-witted decision to waste money firing the basketball coach and hiring a new one.

    And for this she gets a 18% raise that's more than I can expect to make in yearly salary plus benefits on graduation, as well as 1/5 of a million dollars "bonus"?

    Renu "f*** the students, let's embezzle" Khator, business as usual from her.

  • Well, sounds like alot of angry people. It would be much easier to just leave the university you know…… would save alot of your headaches. Nobodys forcing you to be there. Just saying.

  • "Logic", have you ever tried to transfer from a university when working on an advanced degree? Good luck with that. Enjoy living in the gutter under the weight of student loan debt.

    It's time for UH employees, grad students, undergrad students, and faculty to stand up to Renu Embezzler Khator and demand that she be removed and replaced by someone competent.

  • "Logic": let me remind you that this is a PUBLIC university that belongs to all of us. Our tax dollars finance it whether you attend the university or not. It is our civic duty and right to demand an efficient and fair governance of our public institutions. The future of our state depends on the quality of its public institutions.

  • I also agree with one of the previous commentators that the first comment should be published as a rebuttal in Daily Cougar. The main article by Sarah Raslan appears as a piece of propaganda handed to her by Dr. Khator and Dr. Willson's staff. It is poor journalism at best and direct propaganda at worst. Let's remember: we need a free, objective, informed, and critical press to question, debate, and when applicable, to stop abuse of power.

  • Progress – perhaps you didn't understand how the Daily Cougar works? They republish the propaganda pieces as if they were independent columns, or else their funding gets slashed.

    The idea of the Daily Cougar being a nonbiased paper is ridiculous. One good example is the fact that they won't publish anonymous letters to the paper itself, nor will they withhold the name of a letter writer on request. The reason is simple: blocking away anonymity makes it so that everyone who wants to criticize the incompetence and embezzlement of Khator, Wilson et al has to fear for being either fired or kicked out of the university.

  • Progress – perhaps you didn't understand how the Daily Cougar works? They republish the propaganda pieces as if they were independent columns, or else their funding gets slashed.

  • Progress, you bring up an excellent point regarding the public's expectations for transparency, open-ness, and accountability. I agree with you. This is why I am greatly concerned and disturbed the UH is approving cryptic agendas and conducting secretive meetings, as described by the Texas Watchdog very recently. Rice University and the University of Houston have been secretly negotiating over KTRU, the student run radio station at Rice.

    My expectation for a tier one university does not include building a radio network. UH should not buy KTRU. And now, in the odd world of UH, we grant a pay raise for misplaced priorities and cavalier governance that skirts the intent of state law for state institutions?

    Maybe if I tell my employer we need a radio station, I, too, will get a raise.

  • It seems that the current board of regents and president Khator are the worst administration in recent UH history in terms of transparency, openness, and accountability. Instead, cronyism and self-promotion seem to be their guiding principles. UH has outstanding faculty and students; but unfortunately the administrators are incompetent and self-serving.

  • Her current salary: $500K
    + $200K deferred payment
    +free use of a $50K car
    + a full-time personal driver for the car at $53K/year salary
    +$14K/year for club memberships, opera tickets, etc.
    + free lodging in a $6M mansion with all expenses paid (from maids to cable TV all at the expense of students and taxpayers!!!)
    + retirement pay
    and who knows what else…

    She is living like an aristocrat during a recession when taxpayers and students struggle… when faculty and staff are forced to take furloughs…

    To answer your question "how much higher of a salary do you need?", it all depends on the moral values and level of greed driving a person.

      • It is not ridiculous. She is filling two roles, president and chancellor of a university with 40,000 students. Its a big job, she has proven herself. UH football is finally making strides and might be in the E. conference soon. I attended UH in the early 2000's, and so am seeing the differences between now and then, they are enormous in terms of international presence and respect for the school.

        Go complain about college football coach salaries.

  • The public trust in our higher education institutions is eroding as a result of greedy and failed leadership. Is this a replay of Enron in higher education?

  • Yeah, sure, very noble. You know, it might've been before, but that's been wiped out by this news. Nowit's not noble, since she got the raise. At a time when the University already has had 5 % taken out of its budget, and more cuts are being discussed, she gets to have a raise? She has a personal driver, her own mansion, and other perks already.

  • The home – Everyone wants a home that entices the family to stay, but that home needs to be comfortable and climate controlled enough during the summer months to make them want to do just that. So, if you install a good air conditioner that provides adequate ventilation, your family might just breeze through those summer months in supreme comfort – together. And, nothing would make those days sweeter than being able to save money at the same time!

    A tanning salon – A tanning salon is supposed to be a nice relaxing place in which your customers can come in order to get a healthy golden brown color. But face it – for those who frequent your business during the summer months, getting that tan “indoors” can often times become overwhelmingly stifling if the air conditioner is “out of order” all the time.

    But, in giving those clients the comfort of a great AC unit that delivers cool air throughout your establishment, you might also give them the best tanning experience of their lives, and do so while cutting your energy bill in half, as well.

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