Latest Developments on Campus Sale
Three articles by Robert Harding appeared in the Citizen within 24 hours earlier this week.
1. On June 22, Wells College filed a request to postpone the court’s hearing of oral argument on the appeal by Harriet Higgins’ Minerva Institute. This filing included a surprise statement that the 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 early April. An article on this appeared the next morning
2. That evening, HIIK released a press statement saying they “vehemently” disagreed with the college's “purported termination” of the PSA. It restated, from a June 16 court filing, 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.” The WLS has confirmed with legal authorities that the college cannot provide a clear title with litigation pending over the property, that being the two appeals of denied motions to intervene by Clint Halftown and Harriet Higgins. Early on June 23, an article touched on this side of the story.
3. Later that same day, the IRS 990 tax filing for the college’s first fiscal year of shut-down became available, and reporter Robert Harding wrote an article showing how Wells College spent $8.5M in one year post-shutdown. The adminstrators’ salaries and legal fees are worthy of note.
All three articles are reprinted below. Please support local journalism.
1. Wells College says $12.5M Aurora campus sale will not move forward
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.
2. Hiawatha Institute disagrees with Wells College's decision to cancel campus sale
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.
3. Tax filings shows how Wells College spent $8M, despite being closed
The Citizen, June 24, 2006 - Robert Harding
The sale of the campus is an important part of Wells College's wind-down process, which began after it closed in 2024. The college has been selling off-campus properties, but the proceeds from the campus sale will allow the college to repay what it borrowed from its endowment and cover other expenses related to the closure.
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 proces
