Three years ago, when the FGCU Eagles’ Men’s Basketball team made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, a couple in Ohio was watching the story unfold on the “Today Show.” Now, that same couple has pledged $1 million to FGCU’s College of Health Professions and Social Work.
“As we started re-evaluating what we wanted to do with our lives, we knew we wanted to be involved with a public university, so we did some research and liked what we saw,” Dr. Alise Bartley said of FGCU.
David W. and Alise are passionate about making a difference in people’s lives through therapy and counseling, specifically through marriage and family counseling, which is Alise’s area of expertise.
“We are so pleased that David and Alise recognized all our stellar university has to offer and became engaged in its continued success with an investment that will enhance and expand important programs,” President Wilson G. Bradshaw said. “We are grateful for their confidence in us, and look forward to a long relationship with them in many dimensions.”
The $1 million gift will be used to create scholarships through the Alise and David Bartley Scholarship Endowed Fund for Marriage and Family Therapy and the Bartley Restricted Fund for Behavioral Health; increase faculty and staff resources; fund program development and advancement and create developmental and professional opportunities for students.
“This gift is transformational,” Dr. Mitch Cordova, dean of the College of Health Professions and Social Work said. “It will elevate our graduate counseling programs to a new level as we are able to expand our degree choices and create a community counseling clinic that will offer training for our students and much-needed services for the community.”
Alise is an educator and therapist who earned her doctorate in counselor education with a specialization in marriage and family therapy at the University of Akron, and worked as a faculty member there for 11 years. She is also the owner of The Relationship Center in North Canton, Ohio.
David was recently named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Northeast Ohio in the family business category for his work as the chairman of Ohio Gratings, a manufacturer of custom bar grating.
“We’re committed to passing on what we’ve learned, and to share our fortune with others,” David said.
The Bartleys purchased a condo in Bonita Springs last year and plan to relocate from Ohio next year.