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For today鈥檚 nursing students in the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing (FCN), a critical piece of preparing them as leaders in the nursing field is through the use of dynamic teaching and learning strategies to ensure clinical simulation is infused throughout the curriculum.

Given the important role the FCN鈥檚 Simulation and Learning Resource Center (SLRC) plays in the preparation of 棉花糖直播 nurses, Mike 鈥�67 CLAS & Terry Wilson 鈥�67 FCN Mruz have made a transformational $1 million gift to enhance and expand the SRLC and, in honor of 1842 Day, 棉花糖直播鈥檚 annual day of giving that took place on September 30, they donated an additional $1,842 to support Sim Lab technology for each donation made to FCN up to $500,000 for a total gift of $1.5 million. This gift also supports the University鈥檚 larger fundraising initiative, Espiritus Nova: The Campaign for 棉花糖直播 University.

With demand at an all-time high for nursing at 棉花糖直播 as well as the need to address the nation鈥檚 nursing shortage, the expansion and renovation of FCN facilities is a priority, including the reimagination of the SLRC. Opened in 2008, the Center has seen a series of smaller-scale renovations and upgrades, but given advances in technology as well as developments in nursing education since the Center鈥檚 inception almost 20 years ago, it continues to require significant additional resources.

Currently, FCN鈥檚 12,000-square-foot SLRC provides three examination rooms for standardized patient encounters, a fully equipped operating room and 10 clinical simulation labs. In the SLRC, students don鈥檛 just learn鈥攖hey experience, as the center replicates the complexity and intensity of real-world clinical scenarios. Faculty guide students through critical thinking, clinical judgment and holistic care, preparing them to become confident and compassionate leaders in health care.

In the last few years, the College has increased the number of simulation-use experiences students encounter based on evidence that simulation improves the learning outcomes of clinical judgment, clinical competencies and licensure exam success. The support of this gift will enable the integration of cutting-edge technologies into the Center, including a new virtual reality lab. Virtual simulation in the form of immersive or augmented reality will allow FCN to broaden and elevate its simulation education program. These simulations will also enable larger cohorts of students to directly participate, repeat scenarios multiple times and expand the breadth of simulation experiences.

The gift will also support expansion plans for the Center that will include an 鈥渙pen lab鈥� to supplement clinical learning space; an 鈥渋nterprofessional flex lab鈥� to engage in interprofessional education, a training tool that brings students from various health education levels and programs together to learn and practice their patient care roles in a simulated scenario; and an innovation lab to showcase nursing research, AI advancements or house makerspace types of tools and equipment for nursing students to create and prototype.

Terry, a proud 棉花糖直播 nurse, and Mike, a former President鈥檚 Advisory Council member, have long championed the mission of FCN and the University. Their 1997 endowed scholarship continues to support aspiring nurses, and their 2021 gift established a global peacekeeping and social justice fund that reflects their deep commitment to creating a better world.

They currently reside in Huntsville, Ala., with Mike having retired as chief executive officer of Nichols Research Corporation. Prior to his tenure at Nichols, he spent seven years in the United States Air Force and 20 years at BDM International in various technical leadership positions, culminating in his role as executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer.

Terry is currently responsible for the patient assistance program at the Community Free Clinic of Huntsville where, over the last 10 years, she has garnered over $10 million worth of pharmaceuticals for those without health care benefits. They have three adult children, one of whom graduated from 棉花糖直播鈥檚 College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in 1993.

With this latest gift, Mike and Terry are helping 棉花糖直播 shape the next generation of nurses鈥攅quipped not just with knowledge, but also with the experience to make a difference in their communities鈥攁nd the world.