Wilmington College Exploring Partnership with Ohio State in Support of Veterinary Medicine in Ohio

WC President Corey Cockerill, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Rustin Moore and State Sen. Kyle Koehler are pictured in the center of the back row, surrounded by members of the Ohio State delegation, which presented on the Protect Ohio initiative at the College.

WILMINGTON, Ohio (April 29, 2026)—Representatives from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine met with Wilmington College officials on Wednesday (April 29) to solidify a partnership designed to strengthen the recruitment of students pursuing careers in large animal veterinary medicine.

The OSU contingent also presented a town hall meeting that evening at WC, highlighting the Protect Ohio initiative. It adopts a “One Health” approach — integrating animal, human and environmental health — to address pressing needs across Ohio’s rural communities and livestock sectors. State Sen. Kyle Koehler (District 10) shared his support for the initiative at the meeting.

Wilmington College and Ohio State Veterinary College officials discussed formalizing the pipeline between the two institutions in which WC graduates will pursue veterinary studies at OSU. The College has a long history of its pre-veterinary students successfully enrolling and earning veterinary medicine degrees through OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Last year, Wilmington College received more than $700,000 in Choose Ohio First state grant funding to support scholarships for students pursuing pre-veterinary science and other STEM fields. It is another way Wilmington College has worked to facilitate the pre-vet pipeline.

WC President Corey Cockerill expressed her excitement about working with OSU in a program that will garner tangible benefits to the state and its agriculture industry. “We are thrilled to partner with The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine on this unique pathway program,” she said. “When two institutions come together to address workforce shortages in critical areas of agriculture, like veterinary medicine, it’s a win-win."

WC President Corey Cockerill is pictured, following Wednesday's meeting with OSU officials, with Rustin Moore, DVM, Ph.D., the Rita Dean Wolfe Endowed Dean of Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine.

OSU’s Large Animal Rural Veterinary Mentoring Program invites eligible Wilmington College students into the initiative through a partnership to identify, mentor and prepare undergraduates for future careers in rural veterinary practice. This shared effort to develop future veterinary leaders in Ohio will place a spotlight on animal science and equine medicine, and include a special focus on the health and well-being of livestock.

The Protect Ohio initiative seeks to expand enrollment and recruit more students from Ohio who will ultimately work in the state’s rural communities. This will address the shortage of large animal veterinarians and help safeguard Ohio’s significant agricultural economy.

The OSU guests learned that chemistry and biology students at WC have access to instrumentation, laboratory experiences and research opportunities that undergraduate students at other institutions might not see until graduate school. Also, the College’s agriculture students thrive on hands-on experiences, with more than 80 percent of students engaging in internships, many completing two or three while at WC. Also, some 95 percent of agriculture students graduate with jobs in the industry already lined up or with plans to further their education.

“We’re small, but we do big things,” Cockerill added.