LOWER GWYNEDD — Gwynedd Mercy University has received what it calls a “transformational” gift from the Maguire Foundation. The $10 million gift will enable the university to build the Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Campus on its main campus in Lower Gwynedd Township.
The construction of the new, 65,000-square-foot Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Center will be the centerpiece of the Healthcare Innovation Campus, helping to address a nationwide shortage of healthcare professionals. It will also build on the university’s “strength in and reputation for” training highly-skilled compassionate care professionals in the Mercy tradition, the university said in announcing the gift.
Maguire was a 1955 graduate of Gwynedd Mercy College.
“We cannot think of a better way to honor the memory of our beautiful mother,” Megan Maguire Nicoletti, president and CEO of The Maguire Foundation, said in a statement. “She loved her time at GMercyU, and always took a genuine interest in helping future generations of students succeed.”
This latest gift brings the Maguire Foundation’s total commitment to the university to more than $20 million. The foundation has provided scholarship support to more than 50 GMercyU students through the Maguire Scholars Program that began in 2012. In addition, the Maguire Foundation has supported the university’s nursing program through the naming of the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions and Frances M. Maguire Hall, the main academic building for nursing, health professions and science students.
“The Maguire Foundation has been a faithful supporter of Catholic higher education and the Maguires have been steadfast and generous friends to Gwynedd Mercy University,” Deanne D’Emilio, president of Gwynedd Mercy University, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue honoring the life and legacy of Frances M. Maguire with a state-of-the-art Healthcare Innovation Center and Campus dedicated to expanding our ability to provide the unique and distinctive Mercy preparation for tomorrow’s nurses and other healthcare professionals.”
Construction of the new Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Center is expected to begin within the next nine to 12 months.
The facility will focus on programming and partnerships that address the “convergence of technology and person-centered compassionate care” in line with the university’s vision of becoming the Catholic University leader in professional and healthcare education, a university spokeswoman said.
The space will include immersive simulation and skills labs to provide students with opportunities to practice clinical skills. It will also provide space for collaboration among programs to provide optimized patient care, a best-practice in healthcare.
Development of a healthcare innovation campus is part of a broader strategic plan to build on the Gwynedd Mercy University’s reputation for preparing “Distinctive Mercy Graduates,” according to a press release.
The university has recently embarked on a number of improvements to existing campus facilities, including the addition of a loop road and pedestrian walkways, and the planned renovation of one of its residence halls — Loyola Hall. The renovations of Loyola Hall are set to begin this month, according to Kirsten Swanson, director of marketing communications and social media for Gwynedd Mercy University. She added that phase one of the renovations is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.
In February 2020, a state-of-the-art virtual environment for radiation therapy training (VERT) machine was added, offering students the opportunity to practice simulated radiation therapy techniques with 3D views and life-size visualizations.
In November 2020, the university added an Anatomage Table, a life-size dissection table providing an interactive look at the human body and 150 other species. The university also recently added a new Nursing Anne simulation mannequin with interchangeable parts and accessories to create a variety of simulated patients.
D’Emilio added that as the school approaches its 75th anniversary in 2023, it remains focused on adding more “state-of-the-art facilities and technologies supporting innovative teaching and learning initiatives.”
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1948, Gwynedd Mercy University is a co-educational institution offering more than 40 bachelor’s, master’s, and associate degree programs as well as two doctoral programs on a full- and part-time basis. The university had 2,304 students registered as of fall 2021 and 850 nursing students. For more information visit gmercyu.edu.