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The Cleveland Commission for Wells will meet with the college's leadership Thursday in Syracuse. The participants will include Wells College President Susan Henking and Marie Chapman Carroll, chair of the college's board of trustees. Robert Cree, the college's chief financial officer, and trustees Jan Albano and Kris Selander Gordon are also scheduled to attend.Ìý

The commission will be represented by its co-chairs, Caolan MacMahon and Jill Porter, and attorney Eleanor Mullaney.Ìý

A month ago, the commission sent a letter to the college seeking more information about the decision to close the Aurora institution after 156 years. The group also requested the board of trustees' meeting minutes and other documents.Ìý

Before the meeting was scheduled, the commission filed a lawsuit against Wells in an attempt to force the college to provide more details abou tthe closure.Ìý

"Obviously, this is a serious step to take," Porter said. "But questions to college administration were ignored or rebuffed. This was the next logical step." 

Wells College closed June 30 after a tumultuous two months. The process began with the sudden announcement on April 29 that the college would shut down at the end of the academic year.Ìý

In a statement, former Wells College President Jonathan Gibralter and Chapman Carroll cited financial difficulties as the reason for the closure. Enrollment had declined over the years and revenues were "not projected to be sufficient for Wells' long-term financial stability," the leaders said.Ìý

The college's most recent tax filing, which covers the 2022-23 academic year, shows the school lost $3 million as expenses outpaced revenues.Ìý

Since the closure announcement, there have been concerns about what will happen to the campus, the school's collection and records. Wells has said it has a "legacy agreement" with Manhattanville University, but the college's accreditor — the Middle States Commission on Higher Education — said legacy deals are prohibited.Ìý

Despite the accreditor's stance, Wells plans to transfer its records to Manhattanville. However, it never provided copies of the record agreements to Middle States.Ìý

Wells lost its accreditation after it closed June 30. In a statement about the process, Middle States said the college's closure was "unapproved" because it lacked an approved teach-out plan and did not "provide the commission with information about the closure after repeated requests." 

Now, the Cleveland Commission for Wells is hoping to get that information about why the institution closed. They will find out Thursday whether the college is willing to share those details.Ìý