Hartley Family Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship Endowment

You could say that Ret. Col. Brodes H. Hartley, Jr.’s planned gift establishing the Hartley Family Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship Endowment at the College was 70 years in the making. But it will endure for even more years to come.

Col. Hartley met his wife-to-be, Dr. Jacquelyn Hartley, in 1952 when they were both freshmen at Florida A&M University. They married upon graduating with their bachelor’s degrees — hers in nursing — and spent the next 55 years supporting each other’s ambitions in healthcare practice and education.

Jacquelyn followed Col. Hartley during his 26 years of meritorious service in the U.S. Army Service Medical Corps, rising up the ranks from field medical assistant for a medical platoon in Germany, to hospital leadership assignments in the U.S., Vietnam, and Japan. Along the way, she advanced her nursing aspirations by obtaining a master’s degree in Maternal & Child Health and subsequently a PhD.

It was Col. Hartley’s turn to follow in 1984 when Dr. Hartley joined FIU Nursing. Her trajectory over the next 16 years went from faculty to chairperson to associate dean and serving twice as acting dean. Along with the impact she had on her students, Dr. Hartley left an indelible mark on nursing education as grant writer for the country’s very first Foreign-Educated Physician to Nurse program.

Col. Hartley reflected on his wife’s dedication to FIU Nursing during its humble beginnings. “I remember the daily 30-mile drive she made to the [then] School of Nursing with one floor of classrooms on the Biscayne Bay Campus. She gave her all as an educator and administrator so the nursing program and its graduates would flourish, which they have.” The school has since transitioned into today’s College with close to 8,000 nursing graduates.

Even after her passing in 2012, Col. Hartley kept the connection to FIU Nursing. He is a founding and active member of the Dean’s Leadership Council because, “I want to contribute to the College’s grand vision for innovating programs that prepare more nurses to serve our communities.”

Col. Hartley, who retired in January 2022 after 37 years as president and CEO of Community Health of South Florida Inc., considered how else to honor his wife’s love of nursing and leave a legacy on behalf of the entire Hartley family.

“I’ve witnessed the impact of nurses firsthand, working alongside so many during my career, and of course, seeing my wife’s passion for the profession,” Col. Hartley reflected. “This planned gift to support scholarships in perpetuity is but a modest way to honor her memory as a nurse and convey our family’s unwavering commitment to advancing nursing education at FIU for generations to come.”