The Well Legacy Society (WLS) incorporated on May 14, 2024, with the goal of preserving and protecting the college's rich history and nationally significant legacy in Aurora and the Finger Lakes region. Following the college’s abrupt closure announcement on April 29, 2024, we organized to protect the college's assets, archives, artifacts, architecture, and alumnae/i connections for future generations. We also aim to ensure that our unique and historic campus remains a vibrant part of the community. Our supporters include alumnae/i and friends of the college spanning generations across the country. We invite you to join us in this important endeavor to uphold and share the enduring spirit of Wells College.

To date, our activities have included:

• communicating via our attorneys the major concerns of alums to the Wells Board of Trustees on 5/28/24, one month after the closure announcement, particularly the case against Manhattanville as a legacy partner.

• working with the Village to keep the National Register portion of the campus zoned Institutional.

• succeeding on August 31 in having the Office of the Attorney General to intervene to stop the piecemeal sale of Wells real estate until a dissolution plan is filed with NYS.

• engaging in confidential discussions with senior leadership at area colleges about a legacy relationship.

• initiating a successful campaign to Say NO to Manhattanville as a legacy partner.

• securing the attention of Gov. Hochul, who asked the head of the State Historic Preservation Office to respond to the threat of leaving the historic buildings on campus unheated.

• developing relationships with regional preservation organizations which resulted in a “Five to Revive” designation for the campus in March 2025.

• garnering local, regional and national press coverage with our story carried in network media feeds across the country, gaining attention in specialty news outlets, and earning the attention of The Chronicle of Higher Education, as we continue to write press releases.

• starting a petition in support of the Village’s offer to house, preserve and protect the Wells College archives.

• supporting PACNY in nominating the Wells campus for the “Seven to Save” program of the PLNYS, awarded in March, 2025.

• obtaining assistance from an international advocacy group and the renowned architectural firm that designed Barler & Campbell and in getting the buildings listed as local landmarks along with the iconic Boathouse Lawn on March 19, 2025.

• acting as an impartial advisor to potential purchasers of the campus, as info provided by the realtors has proven to be inaccurate.

• inaugurating a series of letters from experts urging the AAG to keep our historical artifacts local!

• sharing contacts, connections, information, and insights with the Hiawatha Institute of Indigenous Knowledge in the “due diligence” phase of their accepted purchase offer.

• representing alumnae/i concerns before the NYS Attorney General and/or Dept. of Education in their review of the dissolution plan, as needed.

• preserving the integrity of the National Historic Register campus.

• keeping the Wells archives intact and secure in Aurora and the Finger Lakes region.

• supporting the creation of space(s) in Aurora and/or the Finger Lakes area for Wells alums and the college’s artifacts.

• advocating for an appropriate “legacy partner” for the college in Central New York; accomplished!

  If you support our mission, please donate and spread the word about our work. Thank you!

Karen A. Hindenlang ’77, Co-President
Rachel Snyder ’11, Co-President
Susan Kenney Spencer ’90, Treasurer
Maggie Mahr ’11, Secretary

Victoria Brzustowicz ’75, Digital Design
Laura Campbell, Prof. Emeritus Wells College
Kathleen Dooley ’82, Esq., Governance
Nell Mohn, ’80, Development