Wells College alums make bid to buy campus
AURORA, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – After the sudden closure of Wells College in April 2024, alumni of the 156-year-old institution have banded together in an attempt to buy and reopen the school.
Coming together as the Cleveland Commission for Wells, alumni apart of the Commission span from the 1970s all the way to recent graduates who've gone on to successful careers. The subject header in the release from the Commission reads: '156 Years is Not Enough!'
The campus was recently listed as a 127-acre, 25 building property with 1,585 feet of lake-front property on Cayuga Lake. On March 13, the Commission submitted its bid for the property. Spokesman and alum for the Commission, Caolan MacMahon, says the rigorous deadline to get a bid in was a challenge, but ultimately was met.
'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,' MacMahon said.
According to the release, the Commission's goal in buying the property is to 'find a path forward for [their] alma mater.' This includes restoring the College as an institution, continuing a focus on liberal arts, and taking full advantage of the biodiversity and ecological resources of the lake and surrounding land.'
The Commission is calling for public support in the form of pledges or donations, and are askingsupporters to reach out to the NYS Attorney General's office to voice support of the Commission's efforts in restoring Wells College.
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