Skip to main content
M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing

Deborah “Dee” Silvers Adams '86 FCN and Nick Adams Make $5 Million Leadership Gift to Support the Transformation of Villanova Nursing’s Simulation Lab

Dee '86 and Nick Adams

The M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing is proud to announce a $5 million leadership gift from Deborah “Dee” Silvers ’86 and Nick Adams to support the reimagination of its simulation lab. Simulation in nursing education is a vital, evidence-based teaching strategy, bridging the theory-practice gap with leading-edge virtual and immersive technologies. Simulation allows Villanova Nursing students to develop critical-thinking, clinical judgment and technical skills in a realistic and supportive setting.

In recognition of this gift, the transformed Center will be named the Dee Adams Center for Innovation and Simulation Excellence. The new Center will enhance the ways in which the College prepares students to excel as professional nurses and lead in increasingly complex health care systems.

With demand for Villanova undergraduate and graduate Nursing degrees at an all-time high—and the country facing a growing nursing shortage—investing in Fitzpatrick College of Nursing facilities is a critical priority of Espiritus Nova: The Campaign for Villanova University. Built almost 20 years ago, the simulation lab has enabled the College to become a national leader in simulation learning, and it now needs to keep pace with the rapid advances in technology in the ever-changing world of nursing education.

This gift will equip the 12,000-square-foot Center with the latest technology, transforming it into a dynamic new facility that will enable Villanova Nursing students to thrive in high-stakes care settings and deliver outstanding patient outcomes. The Center, in addition to the simulation facility at the Iadarola Center on Villanova’s Cabrini Campus, will feature state-of-the-art skills labs, high-tech and high-touch spaces for immersive and virtual reality learning, and a simulated smart hospital.

In the new Center’s Nursing Skills Wing, five state-of-the-art skills labs—with a total of 24 individual skills beds—will provide students with expanded access to hands-on education and repeated practice in a realistic, safe environment. This wing will also house one of the facility’s two debriefing rooms, where faculty will lead students in debriefing methods that are proven to improve critical thinking, teamwork and patient safety. Debriefing rooms will be equipped with recording systems and monitors so students can observe their performance and identify opportunities for growth.

The Center’s Virtual Reality/Immersion Suite will support VR and immersion technology that will place students in complex clinical scenarios without risk, building confidence and competence. Customizable scenarios can be experienced individually with headset-based VR simulations or in a group—without headsets—through immersive scenes, complete with sights, sounds, smells and touch feedback. The new Center will include an innovation lab that will be used not only for research, but also to partner with industry to test health care products.

In the Smart Hospital Wing, there will be a fully equipped emergency room, where students can learn in high-pressure scenarios and collaborate with health care professionals. This wing will also house the following:

  • A labor and delivery suite to immerse Villanova Nursing students in realistic, high-fidelity birth scenarios;
  • An ICU/medical-surgical suite that allows students to experience routine medical-surgical management to high-acuity critical care;
  • A pediatric suite that can alternate between a general pediatric floor and a pediatric intensive care unit; and
  • A series of exam rooms, which will replicate an outpatient setting for students to develop skills in comprehensive health assessment and documentation using digital platforms.

Designed to push the boundaries of nursing education, the new Center will integrate leading-edge technology, improve patient outcomes and enable a 25% increase in undergraduate Nursing enrollment.

As a 1986 graduate of the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Dee, along with her husband, Nick, understands the importance of being an active member of the Villanova University alumni community. Dee serves on the College’s Espiritus Nova Campaign Committee and its Board of Consultors. They are longtime supporters of the College, investing in both students and faculty through endowed scholarship funds and support for cancer-related research projects. In addition, the pedestrian bridge over Lancaster Avenue was named the Mildred Boyd Adams Community Bridge in recognition of their philanthropic support and in honor of their grandmother.

Dee previously worked in medical rehabilitation, fitness and athletic training and launched her own company, Yogasport. She is a real estate investor and also advises entrepreneurs in the field of health care and life sciences. Nick is a partner at Wellington Management, a private, independent investment management company. Their son, Pierce, is a 2021 graduate of the Villanova School of Business; their nephew, Noble Shrestha, is a 2022 graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS); and their niece, Lila Wheelock, is a first-year student in CLAS. The Adamses reside in Palm Beach, Fla.