Biography
of Renu Khator

Dr. Renu Khator is currently the Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of South Florida (USF). She was appointed to this position in 2003 after serving for three years as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and three years as Director of Environmental Science and Policy Program.

The University of South Florida, established in 1956, is the ninth largest university in the United States. With a budget of over $1.6 billion, USF offers 200 degree programs to more than 44,000 students on its four campuses. Dr. Khator is the first female Provost of USF and one of the first Indian Americans to become provost at a comprehensive research university in the country.

Dr. Khator hails from India where she completed her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University in Political Science with particular training in environmental policy. She has published five books, numerous book chapters and journal articles in leading national and international journals. Her areas of specialization include water policy and the impact of globalization on the environment.

The global community has recognized Dr. Khator’s outstanding accomplishments. In January of this year, Dr. Renu Khator and her husband, Dr. Suresh Khator, were awarded with the prestigious Hind Rattan (Jewel of India), an award given to non-resident Indians for making outstanding contributions in their field. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services included Dr. Khator among its 2006 Outstanding American by Choice awardees. The award recognized outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens. Also in 2006, Dr. Khator received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts and the Outstanding Educator Award from the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture for enhancing the Hellenic studies.

Dr. Khator has a long history of community engagement. She is a member of the National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology, and serves on several local community boards. She enjoys writing poetry and fiction, several of which have been published. Her philosophy of life: When life gives you lemons and everyone else is busy making lemonade, think about making margaritas!