THE WELLS COLLEGE CAMPUS COULD THRIVE ONCE AGAIN
The Cleveland Commission for Wells, a group of concerned alums, submitted a bid to purchase the Wells College campus. Our initial goal was to halt the closure of Wells; when that proved impossible, we pivoted to preserve and reopen the historic campus as a liberal arts institution.
Our original aim was stymied by the incredibly short notice of the April 29, 2024, closure announcement. The Cleveland Commission met with college leadership but received no answers to the question of why the closure was announced so soon after the college had assured alums, faculty, staff and students that all was well. There was no time to seek an injunction to halt the closure, as had been successful in the case of Sweet Briar College in Virginia.
Instead, the commission began a plan to acquire the campus and revive the college. This plan for a sustainable model with a strong liberal arts curriculum was presented at our May 28, 2025, public meeting. Our plan presents a realistic assessment of the current state of higher education in the United States and addresses key issues facing academia today: administrative bloat, over-reliance on adjunct faculty, gutting of liberal arts, and the need for sustainable financial planning for the long term.
The commission’s plan also focuses on the amazing strengths of Aurora and Central New York: its rich history; its debt to Native American heritage; its key role in the women’s rights movement; its abolitionist legacy; and its agricultural tradition. CCfW recognizes the critical relationship between the village of Aurora and the college and seeks to strengthen that relationship through support of Peachtown School, the Community Medical Center, and access to athletic facilities and the lakefront.
The economy and future of Aurora and Cayuga County are at stake in the disposition of the Wells College campus. The campus must be assessed realistically for what it does and does not have, including what services are available in this rural setting. Wells College’s 156-year heritage should not be eradicated in the place that has been home to thousands of students, that holds the memory of generations of graduates, and that still bears the marks of the complex history of Indigenous people.
Some critics have stated that we are unrealistic about the possibility of a small liberal arts college surviving in these times. To that we say, “Give us the opportunity.”
To view our plan, please follow this link: https://www.clevelandcommissionforwells.org/wells-re-envisioned
This opinion piece was written by CCFW co-chairs Sara L. French and Caolan MacMahon, and was published in the Auburn Citizen on 12 July 2025.