Wells Quick Facts

Enrollment

For the 2008-09 academic year, Wells has a total full-time enrollment of about 568 students (397 women, 171 men).

Location

Situated on more than 300 scenic acres overlooking Cayuga Lake in central New York, Wells College offers the simplicity and safety of village living and easy access to metropolitan and educational centers: ½ hour from Ithaca (home of Cornell University), 1 hour from Rochester and Syracuse, and 5 hours from New York City. The Finger Lakes are known for vast outdoor recreational opportunities and for a high concentration of outstanding colleges and universities.

Mission

The mission of Wells College is to educate students to think critically, reason wisely, and act humanely as they cultivate meaningful lives. Through Wells’ academic program, residential atmosphere, and community activities, students learn and practice the ideals of the liberal arts. The Wells experience prepares students to appreciate complexity and difference, to embrace new ways of knowing, to be creative, and to respond ethically to the interdependent worlds to which they belong. Committed to excellence in all areas of its reach, Wells College equips students for lifelong learning and for sharing the privileges of education with others.

President

Lisa Marsh Ryerson, Wells Class of 1981. Appointed 17th president by the Board of Trustees in 1995, she is the College’s first alumna president and one of the longest serving presidents in central New York.

Faculty

90% of Wells faculty members have doctorates or terminal degrees in their disciplines. Faculty members hold degrees from Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, University of California – Berkeley, Brown, Cornell, and Stanford, among others. Approximately 90% are tenured or in tenure-track positions.

3/2 and 4+1 Articulation Programs

Through affiliations with Cornell University, the University of Rochester, Clarkson University and Columbia University, within five years students may earn both the B.A. from Wells and the professional degree (engineering and teacher education) from the affiliated university.

Pre-professional degree programs

Education (elementary and secondary certification); engineering B.A./B.S.; pre-law; pre-medicine; pre-veterinary.

Cross-Registration Programs

Wells and nearby Cornell University share a close academic and social relationship. Wells students may register for courses offered by any of the seven undergraduate colleges at Cornell. The College also has cross-registration agreements with Ithaca College and Cayuga Community College.

Experiential Learning

Wells takes a unique approach to higher education that puts experiential learning at the center of all we do. Classroom learning is directly connected to future careers in a global society. Our students have unique and diverse opportunities to conduct research with faculty members, hold internships, and study across the United States and abroad.

Off-Campus Study

The College offers affiliated programs in Australia, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Great Britain, Chile, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Senegal, and  Spain. We have additional affiliations with the Cornell cross-registration program, the Salt Center for Documentary Research (Maine), and the Washington D.C. Semester.

January Term

During winter break, faculty members lead off-campus studies courses in a variety of settings. Recently, students and teachers have traveled to Arizona, Hawaii, the Florida Everglades, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C. January study abroad options include travel to England (London Theater Program), Italy, Spain, and Mexico.

Internships

Wells students have recently held internships at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau; Welch Allyn International Ventures (China); The Washington Times; Seneca Park Zoo (Rochester, NY); Arizona Parenting magazine (Mesa, AZ); Delta Airlines (Atlanta); Julian House Homeless Shelter (England); Whitney Museum of Art (New York City); Providence Portland Medical Center (Oregon); Rep. Louise Slaughter’s office (Washington, D.C.); Gallatin Valley Land Trust (Montana); Friends of Africa International (New York City); Colegio Juan de Lanuza (Spain); Vermont Department of Health; Commission for the United Nations (New York City mayor’s office), among others.

Athletics

The College is a Division III member of NCAA and the North Eastern Athletic Conference. Wells offers the following intercollegiate teams — Women: field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, golf and cross country. Men: basketball, cross country, swimming, soccer, golf and lacrosse. Women’s basketball will be a club sport in 2009-10 and is expected to become varsity the following year.

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Approximately 90% of Wells students receive financial aid, with about 78% receiving need-based aid and over one third receiving merit-based aid, with some overlap. The average scholarship award is over $15,000, with $4 million awarded in financial aid each year.

Founding

Wells College was established in 1868 by Henry Wells, who also founded the Wells Fargo and American Express Companies.