Organization of Former by Alumni Places Bid to Purchase/Restore Wells College

In a release, the Cleveland Commission for Wells says they have placed a bid to secure the purchase of the Wells College campus. The organization says the bid was their next step in their initiative to bring back the college. Wells College closed at the end of the 2024 Spring semester last year.

The closure of the college was due to financial challenges, a shrinking undergraduate rate, high inflation (at the time), and an overall negative sentiment towards higher education, former President of Wells College Jonathan Gibraltar said in a statement during the college’s closure announcement last year. Wells College was a private liberal arts college for over 150 years, founded in 1868.

The Cleveland Commission for Wells was created weeks after the closure of the college. According to the Commission, many alumni felt disenfranchised, which then brought inspiration in the creation of a group to find a new path forward. The 127-acre property in Aurora with 25 buildings and 1,585 feet of lake frontage was listed on CBRE, a realty company. The Commission says they met the March 13th deadline to submit a bid to purchase the property.

“This imposing deadline was not enough to deter the Commission , as we had already been envisioning our own approach to restoring the College as an institution of higher education,” Caolan MacMahon, co-chair and a founding member of the Commission said.

Overall, the Cleveland Commission is formed of alumni from the 1970s to recent graduates with a wide range of professions including educators, lawyers, leaders in management, hospitality, and non-profits. The Cleveland Commission itself is a pending non-profit organization.

“The Commission seeks to restore Wells College as an academic institution, utilizing the historic buildings and rich history to continue its strong liberal arts focus, taking full advantage of the biodiversity and ecological resources of the lake and surrounding land.” According to the release.

Besides looking to restore Wells College, the Commission says they are committed to working with the Village of Aurora, Peachtown Elementary School, the Community Medical Center, the
Wells Legacy Society, the Hiawatha Institute, the Aurora Ledyard Historical Society, and others.

The Commission is currently asking for public support with monetary donations or pledges and also asking the public to contact the New York State Attorney General’s Office to voice their support for the saving of Wells College. You can learn more about the effort by visiting ClevelandCommissionForWells.org.