Wilmington College ready for another school year

Wilmington College is welcoming new and returning students, as the institution’s 155th academic year formally started Monday (Aug. 18). 

WC enters the new year with great optimism, coming on the heels of an anticipated five-percent enrollment increase and a 10-year retention high, another completed year with a balanced budget and a sense of excitement fostered by this summer’s announcement of a record $23 million gift.

President Corey Cockerill presided at the annual Opening Year Meeting, a convocation of faculty and staff, at which campus updates were shared, new employees introduced and service milestones recognized. 

“For me, it feels like the first day of school,” she said. “I feel such excitement for the year ahead.” 

In her message to the faculty and staff, Cockerill shared that the College’s strategic plan, In Common Cause, is making great strides as it enters its second year. Indeed, the anticipated 1,100-student enrollment this fall already meets the plan’s goal. 

She also noted that the College can offer $1.3 million in new scholarships this year as a result of recent gifts from donors and successful grants. This summer, the College announced a $23 million gift from a former professor and Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach, Jerry Scheve, who passed away in May. He designated the funds to go toward athletics excellence, peace and conflict resolution programming and international affairs. The centerpiece is the Scheve Athletic Center, which features a Hall of Champions and the Jenna Parlette Running Center. 

While those construction projects will commence starting later this year, numerous manifestations of the gift are being realized in the athletics complex with new bleachers, scoreboards and the renovation of a weight training facility renovation to name a few.

At last year’s Opening Year Meeting, Cockerill introduced a playlist of songs on WC’s Spotify channel, an eclectic mix of music, each exemplifying a slice of the College’s ethos and distinctiveness. This year, she proposed several additions submitted by members of the College community. Informed by the College’s great progress, Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” was a popular selection, as were the New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give,” Bon Jovi’s “Because We Can,” the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” and “Three Little Birds (Everything Gonna Be Alright)” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The president is especially fond of Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down,” which includes the lyrics, “Who’s to say what’s impossible?”

Cockerill beamed as she welcomed the College’s employees to the new school year. “Wilmington College is special, it’s magical!”