UH President and Chancellor Renu Khator sipped tea as student leaders from the Student Government Association, the Multicultural Greek Council, The Daily Cougar and other organizations asked questions during a roundtable discussion Monday.
Between questions and answers, Khator also shared her thoughts on football, the current state of UH and the next steps for the University.
“We are in Houston. It’s a shame, Dallas too — these major Texas cities don’t have public Tier One universities,” Khator said. “We became Tier One in Carnagie, but there’s so much more.”
Khator said one of her next goals for the University will be to boost the graduation rate to at least the national average.
Regarding alumni, Khator urged soon-to-be graduates to stay involved in UH.
“Take interest. Participate,” Khator said. “How can you help recruitment? Would you give a lecture? Would you come back and mentor five students?”
When a student asked about problems with state funding, the president said that negative connotations associated with higher learning weren’t helpful in Texas.
“Our responsibility is to explain to the state why we need funding,” Khator said. “We are still getting very little. I testified about the Tier One funding we’re receiving, but it’s small potatoes. This current attitude towards higher education, this ‘Is college worth it?’ atmosphere, it does hurt.”
Khator also said the number one issue on the minds of students, even beyond parking and financial aid, is slow on-campus wireless internet.
Khator is set to speak at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Texas Tribune Festival.
