Gift from Richard ’83 VSB and Marianne Kreider will establish an Endowed Professorship in Health Care Simulation and Innovation

The Simulation and Learning Resource Center (SLRC) helps to shape the education of nearly every student in the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. In the safe environment of the SLRC, Villanova Nursing students master clinical skills, delve into immersive technologies, develop critical reasoning abilities and become competent in caring for patients.

Richard ’83 VSB and Marianne Kreider have made a commitment to ensure that these experiences continue for generations of nursing students to come.

Through the establishment of the Kreider Endowed Professorship in Health Care Simulation and Innovation, their philanthropy and vision will advance the science and practice of simulation-based education at the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. The holder of this new position, with expertise on simulation science, innovation and technology in education, will take a leadership role in strengthening the College’s national presence in simulation and enable Villanova Nursing to further grow its capacity and community partnerships.

Expanding and deepening simulation-based education and scholarship—the focus of the Kreider Endowed Professorship in Health Care Simulation and Innovation—is critical to the future of Villanova Nursing and nursing education overall. Simulation, with its use of standardized participants, virtual reality, gaming and high-fidelity manikins, is an essential complement to traditional clinical experience, setting up students for success in clinical settings and ultimately, their nursing careers.

The Kreiders are longtime supporters of the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Their generosity has funded the Kreider Family Endowed University Scholarship, the Richard and Marianne Kreider Endowed Professorship in Nursing for Vulnerable Populations and the Kreider Endowed Fund for Nursing Research, in addition to this latest endowed professorship. Last fall, the Dean’s suite in Driscoll Hall was renamed for the Kreider family in recognition of their history of philanthropy and leadership. The Kreiders’ daughter, Kristen ’05 FCN, one of their five children, was a Villanova Nursing student.

A member of the University Board of Trustees since 2016, Richard served on Villanova’s Campaign Executive Committee and was the Chair of the College of Nursing Campaign Committee, as part of For the Greater Great: The Villanova Campaign to Ignite Change. He was a member of the Villanova University Alumni Association Board; an inaugural member of the College of Nursing’s Board of Consultors, also serving as its chairperson; and a member of the Villanova School of Business Accounting Advisory Council.