Educator Vishnu Narain Bhatia set up WSU honors program

Vishnu Narain Bhatia, a 47-year faculty member at Washington State University who launched the school's honors program and worked to create educational opportunities for students, died Thursday in Pullman. He was 78.

Mr. Bhatia devoted 41 years to the College of Pharmacy, but is most heralded for his efforts in establishing the university's honors program, which he served as director from 1964 to 1993, and for his work as international education director from 1973 to 1990.

"He basically was a one-person show and convinced faculty around the campus that they should participate" in the honors program, said former student R. Keith Campbell, now the associate dean of the College of Pharmacy.

Mr. Bhatia's work took him around the globe, and he set up more than 30 exchange programs. In 1990, he received a knighthood from Denmark for forging a student network between that country and Washington state.

"Being someone who grew up in a completely different part of this world, he understood the value of international education," said his son, Peter Bhatia, executive editor of The Oregonian in Portland. "He was the one who opened my eyes to what a big world it was out there."

Mr. Bhatia, who retired from WSU in 1998, also worked as a special assistant to the school's president, Sam Smith, a role he used to strengthen the school's connection to its overseas alumni.

His professional activities were many. They included leadership positions in educational organizations and the publication of more than 70 papers.

Born in Aug. 2, 1924, in Lucknow, India, Vishnu Bhatia was the youngest of seven children, and the only one of his siblings to leave India.

He received a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Banaras Hindu University and arrived in the United States in 1947 to study for his Ph.D. at the University of Iowa.

There, he met undergrad Ursula Dawson. They married in 1951 in Bombay, but returned to the United States, where Mr. Bhatia soon became an assistant professor at WSU.

Known around campus as "Vic," Vishnu Bhatia was a tall, slim man with a "good head of hair" that grew white early on, Campbell recalled. "Later, as he became a world traveler, he always had his suits handmade in Hong Kong. He just looked like a distinguished person."

Even though he was a formal and precise man, he quickly put people at ease, Campbell said. His door stood open for students and colleagues to drop by with problems or to challenge his views.

"The fun thing about him was that you could give your opinion, and even if it wasn't the right opinion, by the time you were done, you feel you had learned and grown from the experience," Campbell said.

"People admired his ability to bring out the best in people. . . . He taught by motivation and inspiration."

In addition to his son, Peter, 49, of Portland, Mr. Bhatia is survived by his wife, Ursula; his daughter, Robin, 47, of Spokane; and two grandchildren.

A memorial service is pending. The family suggests remembrances to the V.N. Bhatia Lecture Fund, care of the Honors College at WSU, P.O. Box 642012, Pullman, WA 99164-2012. The fund sponsors a 10-year-old endowed lecture series that brings a major speaker to the Pullman campus each year.

P-I reporter Mary Vuong can be reached at 206-448-8011 or maryvuong@seattlepi.com

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