Wilmington College president, Corey Cockerill, recently spoke about her background, strategic plans, and exciting additions coming to Wilmington College at Cape May. She was joined by Professor Russell Kincaid, who also spoke about the “new era of Wilmington College” with Corey as president.
Despite not growing up on a farm, Corey always wanted to be a farmer and enjoyed learning about agriculture, natural resources, and sustainability practices. After meeting her husband, who attended Wilmington College, and spending many years on the campus with him, she fell in love with Wilmington College. The two married, purchased a farm, and had two children, one of whom is planning to attend Wilmington College next fall.
During her talk, Corey discussed her goals for the budget and stressed her desire to be “proactive” rather than “reactive”. She acknowledged the “hit” that undergraduate education took during the pandemic. Corey stated, “Undergraduate education is going to run in a deficit for the next ten years… It’s not something you can make money on.” However, she proudly mentioned that Wilmington College has a balanced budget and no deficit. Corey also added that they ended last year “$1 million ahead”. To combat previous errors in budgeting, her administration is setting realistic expectations when estimating student enrollment numbers.
Both Corey and Russell discussed the prison education program, mentioning that it is fully funded by the Pell Grant, which aids in increasing the college’s revenue. In addition, the college is focusing on promoting philanthropy, masters programs, and increasing international student presence, in order to subsidize the undergraduate programs and balance the budget. Corey specifically mentioned that they were $3 million ahead of their anticipated philanthropic goals.
Corey also displayed images and blueprints of a proposed improvement to the agriculture and equestrian center on Fife Road. Wilmington College has one of the largest equestrian teams for a small college, consisting of 61 riders. Due to expanding student interest, the college feels the need to increase the size and amenities at the current location. The new center will feature two large classrooms, one lab room, and a horse arena. The college has already raised $1 million for the $7 million project. The project is expected to happen in 2027–2028. In addition to the upcoming agriculture and equestrian center, the college is adding a new track, paid for almost entirely by philanthropic donations, excluding $100,000.
Learn more about Corey and Wilmington College at wilmington.edu.