DONOR IMPACT: GIVING TO FCN

A Pioneer Pays It Forward to Veterans in Nursing  

Class of 1972 graduate and nursing alumna Meg Garrett celebrated the 50th anniversary of her graduation and her service as a Navy nurse by establishing an endowed fund to support veterans and Villanova nursing students. The Margaret “Meg” Robins Garrett ’72 BSN Endowed Nursing Fund will provide financial support for veterans pursuing a nursing degree at Villanova.

A leader and a pioneer in healthcare, Garrett started her professional journey as a first-generation nursing student at Villanova in 1968. “One of the best decisions I ever made was to attend Villanova. My Villanova education got me where I am today, by giving me skill sets I could never have gotten anywhere else,” she explains.

Garrett recently retired after serving as the Johns Hopkins Healthcare Systems’ vice president of Risk Management and chief legal counsel, where she designed, implemented and oversaw risk management and patient safety at six major U.S. hospitals and numerous international facilities. 

In retirement, Garrett travels extensively to advise senior leaders in matters regarding patient safety, ethics, risk management, legal and regulatory matters. She was the 2021 president of the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management and is a member of the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing Board of Consultors. Garrett also serves on the board of Health Care for the Homeless, which works to prevent and end homelessness for vulnerable individuals and families.

Garrett’s family includes the following Villanova graduates: Brothers John ‘71 and James’73; daughter Erin ’07, ’15; nephew Shamus Robins ’01; and niece Aisling Robins ’07. In addition to her daughter, Meg is blessed with three sons - Greg, James and Brian - as well as eight grandchildren.

Dave and Pam '88 MSN DeCampli are ardent supportors of the next generation of nurse leaders.

Gifting Opportunity to the Next Generation of Nurse Leaders

Pam DeCampli ’88 MSN and her husband Dave are supporting the next generation of nurse leaders through a scholarship for students pursuing a master’s degree in nursing. 

Pam, a retired nursing executive, knows firsthand the value of a graduate degree from the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. “None of the professional opportunities afforded me would have happened without a master’s degree from Villanova. I became a big believer and supporter of Villanova because of the doors that were opened for me.”

Through the Pamela D. DeCampli '88 MSN Graduate Nursing Scholarship, Pam wants to make sure that others “are afforded the same opportunities that I was. Our future nurse leaders deserve the same opportunity.”

After graduating, Pam was quickly promoted to nurse leader roles in Philadelphia at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital and later Graduate Hospital. Pam was appointed chief operating officer at the Medical College of Pennsylvania before becoming a consultant to hospital systems, medical colleges and nursing schools.

Pam is starting her second year as chair of the Board of Consultors, a group of volunteers who advise and support Dean Donna Havens and the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. “My role as chair is to facilitate the Board of Consultors and to strongly connect the Board to the FCN and ultimately the University, as well as to further influence individuals in the community to support and engage with the University. Ultimately, it’s about philanthropy.” 

Her advice to fellow alumni: “All of us should give of our time, treasure and talent, or at least one of the three. New graduates may not be able to support the treasure aspect, but they can share their time and talent with students through the LEAD professional development program and various other avenues supported by the College. All of us can make a difference…and feel really good about doing so.”

Gifts to support nursing scholarships can be made through this link. 

The Pistillis, Barbara '78 VSB and Lou '76 VSB, a Villanova couple with a longtime love of their alma mater.

VSB Graduate Creates Memorial Scholarship in Honor of Wife and Nurses

To honor his late wife Barbara and the oncology nurses who cared for her at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, Lou Pistilli ’76 VSB is establishing the Barbara Kuhn Pistilli '78 Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund. When fully funded, the scholarship will provide support for students enrolled in the BSNExpress Program, a 14-month accelerated second degree program for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing.

Barbara and Lou met at Villanova, where both attended the Villanova School of Business, and maintained a shared love of the University, attending game watches and golf outings, and volunteering with the Villanova Club of the Jersey Shore. They enjoyed lifelong friendships with alumni across the country and always marveled at the sense of community among alumni.

After graduation, Barbara found success in marketing, serving in a variety of roles, including vice president of sales and marketing at Hatteras Press. Lou began his career as a CPA and is currently at Pistilli and Company in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Lou is establishing the Barbara Kuhn Pistilli '78 Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund in gratitude for the “tremendous care” she received at Memorial Sloan Kettering. This gift, says Lou, will “perpetuate the profession of nursing. Nursing is a calling with every day taking a physical toll. I am happy to support a student focused on obtaining a BSN at Villanova.”

More than 90 friends, family and alumni have joined Lou in contributing to this scholarship. Additional gifts are welcome and can be made through this link to the designation of the Barbara Kuhn Pistilli '78 Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund.

Kathleen Higgins Glass '63 BSN

Scholarship Honors Career in Mental Health

Plans are underway at the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing to launch a much-needed graduate program in psychiatric mental health. Thanks to Beth Toolen of Midland Park, N.J., the program will start with at least one student scholarship in hand. Beth, a Villanova graduate and parent, has established an endowed scholarship in memory of her late mother: The Kathleen Higgins Glass BSN ’63 Scholarship Fund for Nurse Practitioner Students in Psychiatric Mental Health.

“My mother spent her entire nursing career in psychiatry, 30 years in patient care and 17 years as an administrator,” says Beth. “This scholarship is the best way to remember her at the school she loved. She always loved telling people that she was not just a nurse but a Villanova nurse. Helping other nurses would make her heart swell.”

Beth graduated from the Villanova School of Business in 1987 and has stayed involved as a volunteer for the admission office. Her oldest daughter, Julia, is a 2018 graduate of the College of Engineering. Another daughter, Devin, will graduate this May from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“I remember my mother telling us that the money you make is a gift, and to make sure you share some of it with others,” says Beth. 

Additional gifts in memory of Kathleen Higgins Glass can be made online and directed to this scholarship fund.

Villanova alumnus John DeLuca honors the memory of his late wife Irene (in photo) with a scholarship in her name to support the education of second degree BSN students.

Elevating Care for Future Patients

John DeLuca lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and began a scholarship program in 2015 to help build the pool of compassionate and skilled certified nursing assistants in the area. Now he’s chosen to support his alma mater in a similar and very significant way.

DeLuca, a 1952 graduate of Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, has created an endowed scholarship to support nursing students in the BSN Express Program, a 14-month accelerated degree program for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing. The Miss Irene Endowed Scholarship Fund for BSN Express Students is named in memory of DeLuca’s late wife Irene, who died less than two years ago after spending “eight years, two months and 22 days” in an assisted living community with staff who, per John, lacked adequate training and supervision in caring for those who cannot care for themselves. John visited Irene every day, seven days a week, and for extended periods during that time.

“I want to help educate more nurses with commitment and heart who are going to stress training and supervision wherever they are and whatever they are doing, whatever responsibilities they have, whatever titles they have,” says John, who grew up in Camden, New Jersey, and enrolled at Villanova to “learn and strengthen his faith and Catholic religion.” The DeLuca’s settled in Maryland and created and ran Delco Packaging Products for years before selling the company to their son. 

John DeLuca began his support of certified nursing assistants at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Maryland. With the help of retired and current staff, advocates, nurses, community administrators and politicians, he created a scholarship program called TREES, which stands for Training, Recruitment, Education, Employment and Support. The program offers full scholarships to caring, compassionate, capable and committed students. “The program’s mission is to make a difference in the lives of those we touch,” says DeLuca. “Through TREES, to date we have 35 graduates, all striving to provide good healthcare for those who cannot care for themselves. Perhaps those who read this can seize the opportunity to create a TREES program in their community. For those who do, they will find it rewarding, meaningful and absolutely powerful.” 

The endowed scholarship created at Villanova will significantly increase what has been a relatively small pool of financial support. “The students in the BSN Express Program need much more scholarship support than we can offer,” says program director Colleen Meakim. “This makes Mr. DeLuca’s gift so important and meaningful for our students. We can’t thank him enough for the support he’s providing our students.”