Wells College 1868-2024

[RichH]

https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2024/04/29/wells-college-shutting-down-officials-say-financial-hurdles-were-too-great/

[Trotsky]

Let's protect those pretty old buildings, nom nom nom.

[David Harding]

Additional information from The Ithaca Voice  Perhaps most encouraging:

College officials said students will be able to complete their current course of study at one of several designated "teach-out" institutions: Manhattanville College, Excelsior University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Keuka College, Le Moyne College, Mercy University and SUNY Brockport.

Most institutions are required by their accrediting commissions to have "teach-out" plans to allow students to complete their course of study should the college face a sudden closure.

At an institution-wide assembly Monday, college leadership assured students they would pay the same tuition and receive the same financial aid they would have had they remained at Wells, provided they transfer to one of the designated teach-out institutions.

[jtwcornell91]

Additional information from The Ithaca Voice  Perhaps most encouraging:

College officials said students will be able to complete their current course of study at one of several designated "teach-out" institutions: Manhattanville College, Excelsior University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Keuka College, Le Moyne College, Mercy University and SUNY Brockport.

Most institutions are required by their accrediting commissions to have "teach-out" plans to allow students to complete their course of study should the college face a sudden closure.

At an institution-wide assembly Monday, college leadership assured students they would pay the same tuition and receive the same financial aid they would have had they remained at Wells, provided they transfer to one of the designated teach-out institutions.

That's a lot more encouraging than the original announcement that only mentioned Manhattanville.  Westchester is not really a substitute for a campus on the shores of Cayuga Lake.

[Scersk '97]

Gutting. What a loss to the community.

To pay off the surely mounting debts, I say Cornell buys some buildings and moves them, brick by brick, to replace some of our more horrific structures.

[billhoward]

There are advantages to the new parent school accepting Wells orphans: The news schools get more students, they've got students who've made it through at least one year academically, they're grateful to be taken in, they understand New York State winter weather. New York State has suffered a net loss (~20%) of students the past decade if I'm reading this NYS chart correctly.

Cornell is up, but what do you expect when Cornell is rated among the world's top universities. Cornell's 2024 graduating class entered ~3300 students, 38% more than the class of 1974 (~2400 enrollees). Probably the case with Rochester, Colgate, Hamilton, RPI, RIT, Syracuse, the ones in the national top 100 universities or colleges. None lack for qualified applicants.

Per the New York State comptroller's office
* In academic year 2022-23, New York State public and private higher education institutions enrolled 777,838 full-time and 334,247 part-time students.
* Full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment at public institutions decreased in 2022-23 by almost 17 percent compared to 2018-19 and by 19.5 percent compared to 2013- 14. Private sector FTE enrollment decreased marginally from the prior year.
* The State has a higher proportion of private college attendance than most states, or 45 percent compared to 22 percent of students nationwide in Spring 2023, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.

The NYS comptroller's chart below counts full-time equivalent students. I don't believe it includes

[RichH]

Additional information from The Ithaca Voice  Perhaps most encouraging:

College officials said students will be able to complete their current course of study at one of several designated "teach-out" institutions: Manhattanville College, Excelsior University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Keuka College, Le Moyne College, Mercy University and SUNY Brockport.

Most institutions are required by their accrediting commissions to have "teach-out" plans to allow students to complete their course of study should the college face a sudden closure.

At an institution-wide assembly Monday, college leadership assured students they would pay the same tuition and receive the same financial aid they would have had they remained at Wells, provided they transfer to one of the designated teach-out institutions.

That's a lot more encouraging than the original announcement that only mentioned Manhattanville.  Westchester is not really a substitute for a campus on the shores of Cayuga Lake.

Yeah, but there's clearly some administrative connection:

"Wells has selected a legacy institution partner in Manhattanville University. This institution will plan to house various materials including transcripts, business records and other important artifacts."

For some reason, I find this interesting. It must be quite a sobering job for the college archivist, essentially tasked with boxing up the soul and essence of a longstanding institution for storage and a last chance for preservation.  Too bad they couldn't carve out a corner of Kroch Library to keep them home.

[David Harding]

On a lighter note, I wonder what modifications we'll see (hear) in "The Song of the Classes".

[jtwcornell91]

On a lighter note, I wonder what modifications we'll see (hear) in "The Song of the Classes".

"I used to date girls from Elmira and Wells ... but I got tired of driving down to Purchase every weekend."

[George64]

On a lighter note, I wonder what modifications we'll see (hear) in "The Song of the Classes".

"I used to date girls from Elmira and Wells ... but I got tired of driving down to Purchase every weekend."

Definitely "a bridge too far," namely, the Tappan Zee (oops, Mario Cuomo) Bridge.

[nshapiro]

On a lighter note, I wonder what modifications we'll see (hear) in "The Song of the Classes".

Was the reference in that song or in the Cayuga's Waiters song 'Cornell' - to the tune of Downtown?

I would also love to hear that again, if anyone can find it online.

[jtwcornell91]

On a lighter note, I wonder what modifications we'll see (hear) in "The Song of the Classes".

Was the reference in that song or in the Cayuga's Waiters song 'Cornell' - to the tune of Downtown?

I would also love to hear that again, if anyone can find it online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwd_k9SDfs

although it's got the "ladies" version of the Sophomore verse.  As I recall the "gents" version it goes:

Oh, I am the Sophomore, with debonair look
My vile Freshman ways I have long since forsook
I used date girls from Elmira and Wells
But in my opinion, the best are Cornell's

[The Rancor]

Never should have gone Co-Ed. I'm sure there are deeper issues than that, but that was what made Wells a distinct institution, beyond it's remote and beautiful location.

[nshapiro]

On a lighter note, I wonder what modifications we'll see (hear) in "The Song of the Classes".

Was the reference in that song or in the Cayuga's Waiters song 'Cornell' - to the tune of Downtown?

I would also love to hear that again, if anyone can find it online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwd_k9SDfs

although it's got the "ladies" version of the Sophomore verse.  As I recall the "gents" version it goes:

Oh, I am the Sophomore, with debonair look
My vile Freshman ways I have long since forsook
I used date girls from Elmira and Wells
But in my opinion, the best are Cornell's

Yes I have seen that.  I cannot find the Cayuga's Waiters song 'Cornell' - to the tune of Downtown.

[RichH]

On a lighter note, I wonder what modifications we'll see (hear) in "The Song of the Classes".

Was the reference in that song or in the Cayuga's Waiters song 'Cornell' - to the tune of Downtown?

I would also love to hear that again, if anyone can find it online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwd_k9SDfs

although it's got the "ladies" version of the Sophomore verse.  As I recall the "gents" version it goes:

Oh, I am the Sophomore, with debonair look
My vile Freshman ways I have long since forsook
I used date girls from Elmira and Wells
But in my opinion, the best are Cornell's

Yes I have seen that.  I cannot find the Cayuga's Waiters song 'Cornell' - to the tune of Downtown.

I'm pretty sure I have a 30 y.o. CD with that song on it. It's in storage back home and I'm on a work trip for a few weeks.