Wilmington College President Corey Cockerill is overseeing a renaissance informed by a rich student experience, stable enrollment and record retention, increased financial support, high employee job satisfaction and the implementation of a successful strategic plan. She and the Board of Trustees agreed to a five-year contract extension through June of 2031.
Board Chair J. Brent Bill said the trustees “were delighted to approve” Cockerill’s contract extension. “Her work at the College has been nothing less than outstanding and transformational,” he said. “She is leading us into a bright future and for that we are grateful."
Cockerill described Wilmington College as a “truly special place,” where she is “proud and honored to serve.” She has been an integral part of the campus community since joining the faculty in 2008. “I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for the opportunity to continue serving in this role,” she said. “I am honored to work alongside our campus community to steward the College’s future, always asking what is in the best interest of our students. We have so much to be proud of in what we have already accomplished, and we are laying bold plans for the future. I look forward to sharing our remarkable stories."
Cockerill was a faculty member in communication arts and agriculture before being named interim president in March of 2023, sitting president in March of 2024 and formally installed as WC’s 20th and first female president at her inauguration in April 2025.
With the start of Fall Semester classes on Aug. 24, the College is enjoying the highest student retention rate in its 156-year history. Official enrollment numbers will be available in early September. Last year’s student satisfaction survey found that more than 86 percent of respondents explicitly enjoyed their WC experience, and the College earned high national rankings for employee satisfaction from Top Workplaces. Also, recent college ranking organizations named the institution a College of Distinction, and selected WC among the nation’s 100 best rural colleges, its online accounting program in the top five in Ohio and the Academic Farm in the top three in the nation.
PHOTO: Corey Cockerill possesses a keen interest in staying engaged with students via academics, student life, athletics and other aspects of their student experience.
Construction of several facilities is expected to begin soon, including the Jenna Parlette Running Center, Scheve-Ramseyer-Lewis Hall of Champions and grand entrance to the Scheve Athletic Center, and a livestock arena at the new AgriScience Complex.
On the heels of the Higher Learning Commission granting the College gold-standard, 10-year continuing accreditation in 2024, the institution launched a three-year strategic plan, In Common Cause. The plan features seven foundational pillars determined to guide the College through 2027. They include supporting the integration of high-impact experiences for students, elevating agriculture, WC’s largest academic program, developing programs in international affairs, connecting to the communities that support and are supported by the institution, creating an integrated marketing strategy, building student support systems and expanding the enrollment profile. As the College enters the third and final year of the plan, most of those pillars’ key performance indicators have already been accomplished and the College is preparing for a new strategic plan to initiate in 2028.
TOP PHOTO: President Corey Cockerill speaks at WC's 2025 Commencement.