Leadership teams from Wilmington College and Clinton Memorial Hospital met earlier this month at WC to explore new ways in which two of the historically foundational pillars of the community can work together on new initiatives.
Student Ambassadors from the College accompanied the CMH contingent, led by CEO Tom Daskalakis, on a tour of the campus before those eight CMH administrators gathered with WC President Corey Cockerill and members of her senior staff. Cockerill welcomed CMH’s interest in mutually beneficial interactions. “Partnerships like this work well for us,” she said. “We are a collaborative institution.”
Daskalakis added, “Anytime you have two revered organizations that are collaborating, it is a plus — combining education and health care together is even more of a positive. This is the beginning of several discussions on working together for the benefit of both of us.”
He said partnerships need to be “win-win” endeavors to be long-lasting. “I love throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks.”
Cockerill suggested there could be opportunities for collaboration in such areas as workforce development, credentialing, the Master of Organizational Leadership program and the development of specialized skills through a WC program like Ed2Go. She mentioned that two new health-related programs, Sports Nutrition and Public Health, are off and running this fall. Also, the groups saw possibilities for joining forces in service and civic engagement, economy of scale opportunities in purchasing and fostering a sense of community pride geared toward graduates and employees staying in the community.
Those present at the introductory meeting comprise the WC-CMH Steering Committee going forward and various members divided into sub-committees to address such topics as academics, business operations, community service, fundraising and enrollment.
PICTURED: WC President Corey Cockerill (LEFT) and Clinton Memorial's CEO, Tom Daskalakis, lead the discussion on ways in which the two foundational institutions can work together for mutually beneficial results in the community.