Cockerill named interim president at Wilmington College

After the departure of president Trevor Bates as president of Wilmington College, Corey Cockerill, a respected leader within the Wilmington College community, was appointed interim president March 31. Cockerill, a faculty member since 2008, serves as assistant dean of academic affairs/professor of communication arts and agriculture. Agriculture is the largest academic area for Wilmington College.

“I come out of academics, came out of the classroom in communication arts and agriculture and then last year I started a position as Assistant Dean of Sciences,” Cockerill said. “In this interim role, my goals are to serve the needs of the students, primarily, which is no different than the last 15 years. Besides that, I’ll be working on budget and our Higher Learning Commission visit, which is our accreditors. They’re coming in the next academic year.”  

The Wilmington College Board of Trustees will engage the entire College community as it commences a search to select the College’s 20th president. More information about the search process will be shared in the coming weeks.

“Corey has a deep understanding of Wilmington College’s history and values and will be working closely with the faculty, staff, students, and the Board of Trustees to navigate this time of change,” said Richard Sidwell, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Wilmington College. “The Board of Trustees has complete confidence in Corey to lead as president during this critical period.”