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Life of Purpose Treatment Kicks Off Endowment Drive to Create Endowed Research Chair for Florida Atlantic University School of Social Work

Andrew Burki Chief Executive Officer Life of Purpose Treatment Click here for high-resolution version

BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwired - Feb 2, 2015) - Andrew Burki, Chief Executive Officer of Life of Purpose Treatment, an addiction treatment facility located at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, has made a pledge of $100,000 to the FAU Foundation to kick off a fundraising campaign to create an endowed research chair within the FAU School of Social Work.

"My goal is to create support for an Office of Substance Abuse, Mental Health and Recovery within the FAU School of Social Work," said Burki. "The creation of the chair will lead to a significant increase in independent research and studies to inform our knowledge of the mental health challenges facing college students."

The endowment drive has a goal of raising $3 million, which will enable FAU to recruit a top tier researcher to lead the program. Additional matching and individual pledges are being finalized, many from families that have been affected by substance abuse.

According to the International Journal of Social Psychiatry, twenty-five percent of college students meet diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders as compared to 8.5 percent in the general population. Half of all lifetime cases of mental and substance use disorders begin by age 14 and three-fourths by age 24. A 2007 study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University showed that almost half of full-time college students (aged 18-22) either binge drink or abuse prescription and/or illegal drugs every month. The study predicts that by 2020, mental and substance use disorders will surpass all physical diseases as a major cause of disability worldwide.

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"The work of Life of Purpose and the financial commitment of Andrew Burki are an ideal example of the benefits of a research park in South Florida: we can research and treat societal challenges such as mental health, improving the quality of life in our region," commented Andrew Duffell, President & CEO of the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University.

About Life of Purpose

The Life of Purpose program goes beneath the surface of addiction to unveil triggering issues of the addiction process, such as low self-esteem, lack of direction or purpose in life, traumatic events, family turmoil, angst in interpersonal relationships, learning disabilities, physical pain, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. The addiction treatment facility provides the support people in early recovery need to succeed as students, and to create meaning in life.
Life of Purpose Treatment is the only addiction treatment facility on a college campus in the United States and is one of the many successful companies in the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University. For more information, visit www.lifeofpurposetreatment.com

About the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University

Established in 1985, the 94-acre Research Park is home to 18 technology and R&D companies working in conjunction with the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science, the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and the FAU College of Business. The Research Park also hosts the Technology Business Incubator with 15 early-stage technology companies, each of which receives business and consulting services with the goal of becoming established businesses and permanent residents in the Research Park. With campuses in Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton, the Research Park has many of the essential resources necessary to provide a supportive environment in which companies engaged in the research and development of new and innovative products can thrive.

The Research Park was recently awarded the Silver Excellence in Economic Development Award for 2014 by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). For more information, visit www.research-park.org.

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