Wells College: A Legacy Interrupted by Financial Hardships
Wells College, a private liberal arts institution located in Aurora, New York, faced a poignant end to its 156-year history. Founded in 1868 by Henry Wells, a co-founder of Wells Fargo & Company and American Express Company, the college initially served as a women's college until it transitioned to coeducation in 2005. However, persistent financial difficulties, exacerbated by external factors, led to the announcement of its closure in April 2024, with operations ceasing on June 30, 2024.
The Founding and Early Years
Henry Wells established Wells College, originally named Wells Seminary, with a deep commitment to promoting higher education for women, which he considered his life's dream. With the support of benefactors like Edwin B. Morgan, Wells founded the college on land adjacent to his Glen Park villa in Aurora, Cayuga County, New York. He declined an offer from Ezra Cornell to merge their newly established colleges. In 1875, Wells expressed his hope that the college would always be conducted on truly Christian principles. The New York State Legislature formally incorporated the college on March 28, 1868, with the mission of "promoting the higher education of young women in literature, science, and the arts."
Academic and Extracurricular Achievements
Wells College offered a variety of academic programs, including biochemistry and molecular biology, business, and criminal justice. The college was known for its close-knit community and traditions. The bells in the Main Building rang at dinner time, students participated in annual on-campus games, and gathered for tea or coffee on Wednesday afternoons. On graduation day, seniors rode in an antique Wells Fargo stagecoach.
Wells College students could cross-register for classes at other institutions through an inter-college exchange program and participate in study abroad programs, notably in Florence, Italy. The college also established centers in sustainability, business and entrepreneurship, and book arts. An honor code was in place.
Athletic Achievements
Wells College, nicknamed The Express, competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division III level. As a member of the Private College Athletic Conference in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Express sports teams won four consecutive conference championships in women's tennis (1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81) and titles in women's bowling (1978-79, 1979-80).
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Wells officially became an NCAA Division III institution before the 1986-87 athletic season and joined the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference (AWCC) before the 1996-97 athletic season. In 1996, the Wells women's soccer team captured the school's only AWCC championship title. The Express teams joined the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) before the 2007-08 academic year. Wells captured six conference championships in the NEAC. Men's swimming won league titles in 2009-10 and 2012-13. In the 2018-19 season, the Wells men's volleyball team reached the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament. In the 2019-20 season, the Wells College women's swim team won first place in the NEAC swimming championships. In 2021, the NEAC rebranded as the United East Conference, where Wells was a member for the next two athletic seasons.
In its final season in the AMCC, the baseball team finished with a 19-18 overall record. The women's lacrosse team won the AMCC championship and regular-season title with a 16-1 overall record. On May 4, the Express defeated Mt. Aloysius 19-6 to win the AMCC title in the final sporting event in Wells College history.
Transition to Coeducation
In October 2004, the Wells College board of trustees considered changing the college to a coeducational institution to attract more students and combat "enrollment challenges" that posed a risk to the college's finances. Protests erupted, but the board reaffirmed its decision to move ahead with coeducation. Students filed a lawsuit against the college, which the courts rejected.
Financial Struggles and Closure
In May 2020, President Jonathan Gibralter warned the college community that financial issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the college's future. In April 2024, the college's president and board chair announced that Wells would close at the end of the spring 2024 semester due to "financial challenges … exacerbated by a global pandemic, a shrinking pool of undergraduate students nationwide, inflationary pressures, and an overall negative sentiment towards higher education".
The closure was abrupt. Even as administrators were assuring faculty that the college was in good shape, Wells was making arrangements with other institutions to become a "teach-out" partner. The Village of Aurora’s ad hoc zoning committee was working with Wells administrators on a proposal to convert most of the college’s campus from institutional to mixed-use zoning, which would allow the use and sale of buildings for purposes not related to the college.
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On June 20, 2024, Jonathan Gibralter left the institution. On June 30, the same day its accreditation expired, Wells College ceased its operations and closed. The Post-Standard summarized the closure reasons as "the college ran out of students and money".
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) placed Wells on probation in 2019, requiring evidence of "adequate fiscal and human resources" and proper financial planning. After Wells announced it was closing, Middle States put it back on probation, citing the abrupt closure and its failure to make plans to ensure the well-being of its students.
Impact on Students, Faculty, and the Community
The closure of Wells College had a significant impact on its students, faculty, and the surrounding community. More than 300 students had to find new places to enroll, and more than 100 workers were expected to lose their jobs. Wells College students had the option to transfer to other colleges or universities.
Aurora depended on Wells for water. Wells' closure forced Aurora to take over the water plant, hire two people to run it, and train them as certified water operators. The village might also try to hire the Wells employees who are currently operating the pumps for the college.
Reactions to the Closure
The announcement of Wells' closure was met with shock and disappointment. Alumni expressed suspicion that mismanagement by those in charge of Wells might have led to the closure. Some faculty members and students were upset about the money spent on President Gibralter’s compensation.
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Wells' announcement came in the form of a letter from President Jonathan Gibralter and Board of Trustees Chair Marie Chapman Carroll. Gibralter and his leadership team did meet on campus with alumni and other interested parties on May 31 to discuss the closure.
Legacy and Future of the Campus
Wells College's legacy extends beyond its academic achievements. The Louis Jefferson Long Library, completed in 1968, was designed by Walter Netsch.
Wells College named Hobart and William Smith Colleges as its legacy partner. An indigenous education nonprofit bought the Wells College campus for $12.5 million and proposed to locate an indigenous college at the former Wells College campus.
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