WILMINGTON — Four Wilmington College faculty and staff members are among those recognized among the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education’s 2020-21 Excellence Award honorees.
They include Dr. Corey Cockerill, professor of communication arts and agriculture; Dr. Charlie Dick, associate professor of accounting, Cincinnati Branch; Brian Dykhuizen, head athletic trainer; and Vicki Baker-McFarlane, account resolution coordinator with Student Financial Services.
The WC group is included among 48 faculty and staff members honored from SOCHE’s 21 member institutions. Academic officers at each college or university submitted faculty members who demonstrated excellence in teaching, service and scholarship, while, similarly, human resources directors named staff members who demonstrated excellence in student success, service and assessment throughout the year.
Cockerill is the first female director of the academic program in agriculture, the College’s largest academic area. She joined WC in 2008 and established the agricultural communications concentration.
Dick came to WC in 2005 and, complementing his work in the classroom, has been the go-to person involving such initiatives as writing Higher Learning Commission reports, providing the College with written policies for online learning and assisting with the January launch of the Master of Organizational Leadership program.
Dykhuizen, who joined WC in 2012, has taken on an important leadership role during the pandemic with regard to the health and well-being of student-athletes. He has administered literally thousands of COVID-19 tests while serving as a key person in guiding the Athletic Dept. through safety protocols.
Baker-McFarlane, who joined the College in 2016, excels in the behind-the-scenes area of collections. She also works with Perkins Fund management and, more recently, has assisted with federal CARES Act and HEERF monies for the benefit of WC’s students.
A year ago, the SOCHE 2019-20 Excellence Awards went to Dr. Jane Bogan, associate professor of education since 2016; Eileen Bowman, office manager for Physical Plant for more than 25 years; Dr. Daryl Nash, assistant professor of agriculture and a member of the faculty since 2017; and Jill Young, director of Student Health Services from 2010 to this fall.
SOCHE recognized various members of the 2019-20 group from January through November 2021 and will do the same on monthly basis with the 2020-21 contingent during 2022.
