Updated Campus Sale Developments
Three articles appeared in the Citizen within 36 hours. A fourth article was added here on June 29, and then an editorial appeared on July 2. All five pieces are linked below.
1. On June 22, 2026, Wells College entered a legal filing to postpone an upcoming court hearing. It included a surprise statement that Wells College was terminating the purchase and sale agreement (PSA), signed with The Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowlege (HIIK) on January 8, 2026, and approved by Judge Lind and the NYS Attorney General in April, 2026. An article outlining this turn of events appeared the next morning.
2. On June 23, HIIK released a statement saying they “vehemently” disagreed with the college's “purported termination” of the PSA. It reiterated their June 16 court filing, stating that HIIK “remains dedicated to establishing the Indigenous college at the Wells College campus …[and] intends to purchase the campus once Wells College is able to provide clear title to the campus.” Another article appeared.
The WLS has confirmed with NYS legal authorities that the college cannot provide a clear title with litigation pending over the property, that being the two appeals on the denied motions to intervene made by Clint Halftown’s Cayuga Nation and Harriet Higgins’ Minerva Institute. Early on June 24, an article in The Citizen introduced this side of the story.
3. Later that same day, the IRS 990 tax filing for the college’s first year of shut-down became available, and reporter Robert Harding released an article showing how Wells College spent nearly $8.5M in one year post-shutdown.
4. On July 29, The Citizen reported that HIIK filed to sue Wells College for terminating the PSA, saying that due to the two pending appeals the college could not provide the required clear title to the property. Nevertheless, the college stated their intention to take HIIK’s $500K deposit because the sale wasn’t completed in late May.
5. On July 2, the Citizen published its 6th editorial on failures of the college’s leadership, entitled “Our View: Wells College is Flunking Campus sale.” The full list is here.
All five articles are included below. Please support local journalism.
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The Citizen, June 23, 2026 - Robert Harding
More than two months after a state Supreme Court judge approved the $12.5 million sale of Wells College's former Aurora campus, the college now says the transaction will not be moving forward.
In a letter to Cayuga County Court on Monday, attorneys for Wells College revealed the campus sale to the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge has been canceled.
"Hiawatha Institute did not proceed to closing under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, and did not cure its default in failing to proceed to closing," the attorneys wrote. "As a result, Wells College has now terminated the purchase and sale agreement with Hiawatha Institute. Therefore, the sale will not be moving forward."
Wells College shared the development in response to one of the legal challenges to the sale. Harriet Higgins, an alumna who founded the Minerva Institute and unsuccessfully bid to buy the property, sought to block the transaction. The college's attorneys asked Judge Darius Lind, who approved the campus sale to the Hiawatha Institute, for an adjournment due to the circumstances.
After Wells College closed in 2024, it began to wind down its operations and dispose of its assets, the most significant of which is the 127-acre Aurora campus. The college hired CBRE, a global commercial real estate firm, to market the property.
Nearly a year after the closure, Wells College's board of trustees said it had received "multiple offers" for the campus.
Among the bidders was the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, a nonprofit that sought to transform the Aurora campus into an Indigenous college. That wasn't the only aspect of the project, though. Other parts of the campus would be redeveloped used for other purposes, such as housing.
There were competing bidders, but after a months-long process, Wells College announced in January that the Hiawatha Institute's $12.5 million bid had been accepted.
Wells College asked for the Cayuga County Court's approval to sell the property, which was granted in April. Before Lind approved the sale, he rejected attempts by the Cayuga Nation and Higgins to intervene in the case.
In their letter, Wells College's attorneys did not say what the next steps will be to sell the property. Susan Henking, the college's president, said in January 2025 that if the college did not receive substantial offers, it would remarket the campus. If the second attempt failed, the college could proceed to an auction. But Henking noted the sale price would likely be less at auction.
The campus sale is an important part of Wells College's disposition process. Wells needs the proceeds to repay what it borrowed from its endowment, which will be forwarded to Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the college's legacy partner.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
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The Citizen, June 24, 2006 - Robert Harding
After Wells College's surprising announcement that it won't proceed with the $12.5 million sale of its former Aurora campus, the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge says it "vehemently disagrees" with the decision.
In a statement, the Hiawatha Institute reiterates its commitment to completing the acquisition, but alludes to a sticking point in the transaction.
"The Hiawatha Institute intends to purchase the campus once Wells College is able to provide clear title to the campus," the organization said.
Les Lo Baugh, president of the Hiawatha Institute and chair of its board of directors, made similar comments in a court filing on June 16. He submitted an affirmation in the case involving the Minerva Institute, which is seeking to block the campus sale.
Lo Baugh wrote that the Hiawatha Institute "fully intends to purchase the campus once Wells College is able to provide clear title." He did not expand on the title issue in the filing, and he did not respond to The Citizen's request for comment on Tuesday.
Wells College revealed the status of the sale in a court filing on Monday. The letter was submitted in response to a case brought by the Minerva Institute, one of the losing bidders that is attempting to block the sale of the campus.
Attorneys for the college told state Supreme Court Judge Darius Lind that the Hiawatha Institute "did not proceed to closing under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, and did not cure its default in failing to proceed to closing."
They added, "As a result, Wells College has now terminated the purchase and sale agreement with Hiawatha Institute. Therefore, the sale will not be moving forward."
Wells College did not disclose in the filing what its next steps will be now that it has canceled the sale. Susan Henking, president of Wells College, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
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The Citizen, June 24, 2006 - Robert Harding
In the first year after it closed, Wells College spent nearly $8.5 million and reported a net loss of over $5 million, according to its latest tax filing.
Wells College's Form 990, which covers July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, shows the institution reported revenue totaling $3,142,887 and $8,496,336 in expenses. The college had a net loss of $5,353,449 in its 2024-25 fiscal year.
As expected, Wells' revenue and expenses decreased in the first academic year since its closure. Before it closed, the college's revenues were more than $30 million and expenses were nearly $38 million in 2023-24.
The tax filing shows Wells College President Susan Henking received $267,928 in total compensation. Henking was named president in July 2024 after the college parted ways with Jonathan Gibralter, who served as president for nine years.
Despite not serving as president during the 2024-25 academic year, Gibralter was still paid by Wells. He received $220,589 in total compensation, according to the 990, making him the college's second-highest paid employee during that period.
Other executives who were listed on the tax document include Robert Cree, vice president and chief financial officer, who was paid $210,224 in 2024-25. Pamela Sheridan, the former vice president for advancement, was paid $90,423.
Aside from the executive pay, the college reported other salaries and wages totaling $1,681,368.
The filing lists several other expenses, including $848,122 for information technology, $447,552 for occupancy and $205,951 for office expenses.
Among the college's largest expenditures was for its legal representation. The college paid Bond, Schoeneck & King $542,226 in 2024-25, according to the filing.
Since its closure, Wells has acknowledged it is costly to maintain the now-shuttered campus in Aurora. The college revealed in court filings that it pays more than $200,000 a month to maintain the campus.
For months, it appeared Wells would soon be free of that financial obligation. In January, the college announced it had accepted a $12.5 million bid from the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge to buy the 127-acre campus. A state Supreme Court judge approved the transaction in April.
But Wells College made the surprising announcement in a court filing this week that the sale was off. The college's attorneys said the Hiawatha Institute "did not proceed to closing under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, and did not cure its default in failing to proceed to closing." The college has terminated the purchase and sale agreement, according to the letter.
The Hiawatha Institute disputed the college's characterization of the events that led to the cancellation. In a statement released by the institute, its leaders say they intend to buy the property "once Wells College is able to provide clear title to the campus."
Wells College has not said what its next steps will be now that the sale is off, but disposing of its assets — namely the Aurora campus — must be completed to conclude its wind-down process.
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The Citizen, June 29, 2006 - Robert Harding
The Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge has filed a lawsuit against Wells College for ending the $12.5 million sale of its former Aurora campus.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Cayuga County Court, is in response to Wells College's decision to terminate the sale after it claimed the Hiawatha Institute "did not proceed to closing under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement" and "did not cure its default in failing to proceed to closing."
In its lawsuit, though, the Hiawatha Institute alleges that Wells College's delays in providing information, as well as pending litigation brought by the Cayuga Nation and a competing bidder, prevent both sides from closing on the sale.
Among the issues raised in the lawsuit is that Wells College, according to the Hiawatha Institute, failed to provide campus utility bills for 2024 and 2025 and delayed in submitting right of first refusal waivers.
The village of Aurora and Pleasant T. Rowland, LLC, held rights of first refusal on portions of the property. Based on when the purchase and sale agreement was reached in early January, the deadline for the waivers was Feb. 6. However, the Hiawatha Institute said Wells did not provide the right of first refusal waiver for the village until March 10.
The Hiawatha Institute argues that due to the college's delays, the study period established by the purchase and sale agreement should continue until that information is provided. Despite that, the institute claims the college sought to move forward with closing the sale.
A series of letters between the two entities began on May 4, when Wells notified Hiawatha that the closing date was May 28. The next day, Hiawatha responded to the college's letter by mentioning the ongoing appeal by the Cayuga Nation, which prevents the delivery of "clear and marketable title," a requirement of the purchase and sale agreement.
In a letter dated May 25, Wells College described the Hiawatha's May 5 letter as a "title notice," even though the institute asserts that was not the case. Wells, which repeated that the closing date was May 28, demanded Hiawatha either close on the purchase or terminate the agreement.
Meanwhile, Hiawatha received a letter from Stewart Title Guaranty Company, which advised that it would be unable to issue a title insurance policy due to the pending litigation.
After Wells College's deadline passed, the college sent another letter on June 2 claiming the Hiawatha Institute "has defaulted" on the purchase and sale agreement. A follow-up letter on June 19 notified the Hiawatha Institute that the agreement had been terminated and requested that Stewart Title Guaranty Company pay Wells the $500,000 deposit Hiawatha placed for the sale.
The Hiawatha Institute's lawsuit seeks to preserve the purchase and sale agreement. No court dates have been set.
Important Addenda: After filing this suit, on July 1 HIIK also filed a Notice of Pendency, asking the Judge to provide '“declaratory judgment determining, inter alia, that Wells College’s June 2, 2026 declaration of default was invalid, and therefore null and void; that Wells College was not entitled to terminate the Purchase and Sale Agreement; that Wells College’s stated termination of the Purchase and Sale Agreement was improper, invalid, and therefore null and void and without any legal effect; and that the Purchase and Sale Agreement remains in effect, pending Wells College satisfying all conditions precedent to closing, at which point the parties can schedule a reasonable Closing Date.
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The Citizen Editorial Board, July 2, 2026
As the past few weeks have made clear, Wells College needs to get its house in order so it can sell its abandoned campus in Aurora.
After vetting various purchase offers, the college made a deal with the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, which planned to offer courses in Indigenous art, culture and history.
But the college recently canceled the sale, claiming the institute violated the terms of the closure agreement.
The institute, however, insists that Wells is to blame for missing deadlines, failing to provide information on the cost of utilities, and being unable to obtain clear title to the property.
To be fair, some of the bumps along the way cannot be blamed on the college. Pending litigation has tied its hands as far as obtaining clear title is concerned, and that's a problem likely to scare off other potential buyers as well.
Still, it seems inexcusable for the college to be unable to meet deadlines and provide something as simple as past utility bills so that the institute could get a sense of those costs.
Unfortunately, this sale falling apart likely resets the whole process and lengthens the time the campus will remain vacant, as it has been since shortly after its abrupt closure in June 2024.
The scenic campus needs to be brought back to life so that it can once again benefit the Aurora community and beyond.
We urge Wells to work on settling its court cases and clearing the title on the property so it can finally be sold.
