The college was not financially

viable for years.

The trustees tried everything

and still couldn’t keep the college alive.

The enrollment cliff is real.

Small liberal arts colleges are dead.

These are certainly questions that we as alumnae have carefully considered. We were aware that the college we saw just before the closure was in many ways very different from the Wells that we remembered, and we too were concerned that it was no longer viable as an institution. And we considered whether our nostalgia might be leading us to envision a future that was simply not possible.

Since the closure, we have done careful and detailed analyses of publicly available financial and enrollment data for Wells. Because the college administration has been unwilling to share any details of the specific circumstances that led to the decision to close so abruptly, we are aware that our picture of the last days of Wells remains largely incomplete. However, our examination of publicly available data from the last 20 years has allowed us to identify numerous areas for both financial and administrative improvement.

What the circumstances were that forced the decision to close in 2024 remain unknown. However, we continue to believe that had prudent changes and choices been made, the college could not only have remained open, it could as well have put itself on a path to financial sustainability.

We are also aware that small liberal arts colleges are under threat in many ways, and that the number of students willing to make the investment in this type of preparation is dwindling. But that does not mean that such students do not exist. There are approximately 8 million students enrolled full-time at four-year colleges and universities in the US. Of that number, 500 — the ideal enrollment figure for Wells — represents 0.0000625. We are confident that we will be able to recruit those students who will both want to be at Wells and who will thrive under our re-envisioning of the institution.