University of Houston System (UHS) Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator paid a special visit to the University of Houston-Downtown on Monday, Sept. 25.

Khator was greeted by UHD President Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz and other members of the Gator community. She toured the campus, meeting faculty, staff and students.

Among her first stops was UHD's O'Kane Gallery, where she met winners of the Freshman Common Reader Contest. These students spotlighted their artwork and discussed their literary submissions for Khator and assembled guests. She then observed undergraduate research in one of the University's microbiology laboratories, where Dr. Poonam Gulati Salhotra discussed a project that is analyzing the bacterial and chemical levels in Houston water following Harvey.

Her tour concluded with a visit to the first floor of the Jesse H. Jones Student Life Center to observe the damage incurred during Harvey.

"This was the first opportunity I've had to be on campus since Tropical Storm Harvey, and I was impressed by the progress UHD's facilities team has made in helping the campus recover," Khator said. "I also met with several UHD students who are engaged in some ambitious and enlightening undergraduate research and creative activities. Visiting the University of Houston-Downtown is always a pleasure, and I want to thank President Muñoz for such an inspiring tour."

Khator has served as both the UHS Chancellor and University of Houston (UH) President since 2008. She is the first woman to serve as UHS Chancellor and the first Indian immigrant to lead a research university in the United States. As Chancellor, she oversees UH, UHD, the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria.

"We're always happy to host Chancellor Khator. Today's visit was a great opportunity to showcase our talented students and show her our continued recovery efforts following Harvey," Muñoz said. "Her leadership of the University of Houston-System and support of our institution helps our students finish UHD strong."