Renu Khator, Indian American woman academic, will be inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame for making significant contribution for the benefit of the US’ second largest state.

Ms Khator, 61, Chancellor and President of the prestigious University of Houston (UH) said, “Thank you, Governor! I am honoured and humbled”, after being inducted in Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.

Ms Khator, the first Indian-American to lead a major research university in the US, is also the president of University of Houston’s main campus.

Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district, she is largely credited with pushing the UH once known as “Cougar High” towards the nation’s top-tier of research universities.

During her eight-year tenure, the UH has lured numerous members of the prestigious national academies of science and engineering. Incoming undergraduates are making better grades and returning at a higher rate, a sign that the university’s sluggish graduation rate could pick up.

Ms Khator, who earned her Bachelors degree from Kanpur university in 1973, is the eighth chancellor of the UH System and the 13th president of the UH. She is the first foreign-born president of the university and the second woman to hold the position.

She is the “first Indian immigrant to head a comprehensive public research university in the United States,” according to the statement announcing her induction.

She will be inducted into the hall of fame at the Texas Women’s University of Denton on October 21 along with Selena; Emma Carter Browning, a pilot, businesswoman and aviation pioneer; Susie Hitchcock-Hall, an entrepreneur, businesswoman and founder of Susie’s South Forty Confections in Midland; and Ginger Kerrick, the division chief of the Flight Operations Directorate Integration Division at NASA‘s Johnson Space Center, which provides support to the astronauts and flight directors.

“I am honoured to welcome these five extraordinary women into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.”

“Whether in public service, the arts, business or education, these leaders have inspired generations of Texans to reach new heights, achieve new goals and elevate the Lone Star State. I would like to thank each of the honorees and their families for their enduring contributions to the State of Texas,” Governor Greg Abbott said.

The Texas Women’s Hall of Fame accepts nominations biannually and is open to any native or current residents of Texas, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions that have benefited the State of Texas.