It’s not often that professors and others in the post-secondary education world get the opportunity to participate in an academic startup. 

As Washington State University has learned, such an opportunity is enticing to those in health sciences, as WSU draws to the Riverpoint campus top talent from universities throughout the U.S. while ramping up staffing for its new medical school and other health sciences endeavors.

That’s the take of Daniel J. Bernardo, the interim president of WSU, who assumed that role after President Elson Floyd died in June at the age of 59 following complications from colon cancer. 

Two of the three finalists to become dean of WSU’s new medical school have visited Spokane in recent weeks, and the third is scheduled to arrive on Aug. 31. 

Bernardo said in a recent visit with the Journal of Business editorial board that he’s pleased with the caliber of candidates who have expressed interest in the position. 

That sentiment extends to the health sciences staff that WSU has been able to recruit thus far as well, with veteran researchers coming to the Riverpoint campus in Spokane from respected schools throughout the U.S. 

An opportunity to be a part of something new is one alluring reason, according to Bernardo. Certainly, nearly anybody who ever has been involved in starting a business can appreciate the draw. 

Also, I’ve never worked in academia, but anecdotally, I’ve heard others lament about the glacial pace at which change occurs in that world. I can imagine building a program from the ground up would be an exciting opportunity for most in that field. 

Bernardo pointed out another motivating factor. Many research professors must generate their own funding mechanisms to carry on their research initiatives. 

In many cases, they have to bring in enough money from grants and other sources to cover the cost of all of their own overhead, including rent for the offices and laboratories they use, but that won’t be a requirement here. 

Certainly, such a dynamic is standard for most business owners, but in talking to Bernardo and others, it sounds like more of the onus to operate with independent funding is falling on individual faculty members. 

Also, WSU’s new health sciences building certainly is one of the draws, and while those faculty members don’t have to cover as much of their own overhead, they’re still bringing a lot of that research money to town with them. 

Already, WSU ranks in the top 12 percent of research universities in the U.S. in terms of research expenditures, and that number is expected to rise substantially, from about $210 million to about $300 million, according to Bernardo. 

All of this bodes well for entrenching WSU’s health sciences presence on the Spokane campus, something that isn’t bound to change with Floyd’s permanent replacement, regardless of whom that turns out to be.