Wells College

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Wells College
Official Seal of Wells College
Motto Habere et dispertire
Established 1868
Type Private liberal arts college
President Lisa Marsh Ryerson
Faculty 75
Staff 120
Students 478
Location Aurora, New York, USA
Campus Rural
Mascot The Express
Website http://www.wells.edu

Wells College is a nationally recognized private coeducational liberal arts college located in Aurora, Cayuga County, New York, on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. It was established as a women's college in 1868 by Henry Wells, founder of Wells Fargo and the American Express Company. The College is "known as an exceptional value, pairing top quality academic programs with affordable tuition" [1]. Wells became a co-ed college in 2005.

Contents

[edit] General

One of the United States' first women's colleges, Henry Wells (co founder of American Express and Wells Fargo) built 'Wells Seminary' on his own property. After 1965, Walter Netsch designed three of the buildings on the campus.

Wells boasts small class sizes, an extensive experiential learning program, cross-enrollment with Cornell University and Ithaca College, and a wide range of off-campus study options. The academic program allows students substantial freedom to create individually unique educational experiences. The College is currently strengthening its off-campus study programs, introducing new initiatives in its Book Arts Center, and expanding its athletics programs. The Wells motto is Habere et Dispertire --To Have and To Share.

With only five residence halls and four academic buildings, the college has historically had a focus on small classes. With an average student body of four hundred, class size has frequently been as small as two or three people, with almost none larger than eight to ten. The student to faculty ratio is 8:1. More recently, the school has also added a focus on experiential learning and off-campus study, with traditional undergraduate students required to participate in interships during three of their winter recesses.

Wells College is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and has cooperative relationships with other colleges in the area, including Cornell University and Ithaca College. It is about a half-hour drive from both Ithaca and Auburn, and just over an hour from Syracuse and Rochester.

[edit] Mission statement

"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."

[edit] Academics

Classes at Wells are taught seminar-style by professors -- not teaching assistants -- and 98% of Wells faculty have doctoral degrees.

The Washington Monthly's "College Rankings" (an alternative college guide to the U.S. News and World Report) ranks Wells College as number thirty among all liberal arts colleges in the United States -- as well as the top such college in New York state -- in the September 2006 issue [2].

In 2006, Wells was ranked 12th in the nation by the Princeton Review for being best at encouraging class discussion. In its 2007 rankings, released in August 2006, U.S. News & World Report put it at #24 on the "Great Schools, Great Price" list of best-value schools. It has previously been listed based on the beauty of its campus and frequently makes lists of the nations most haunted campuses.

[edit] Majors with Concentrations

  • American Studies: African-American Studies
  • American Studies: American Cultures
  • Biological & Chemical Sciences: Biochemistry
  • Biological & Chemical Sciences: Biology
  • Biological & Chemical Sciences: Chemistry
  • Biological & Chemical Sciences: Molecular Biology
  • Economics & Management: Economics
  • Economics & Management: Management
  • English: Creative Writing
  • English: Literature
  • Environmental Studies: Environmental Policies & Values
  • Environmental Studies: Environmental Sciences
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures & Cultures: French
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures & Cultures: German
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures & Cultures: Spanish
  • History
  • International Studies
  • Mathematical & Physical Sciences: Computer Science
  • Mathematical & Physical Sciences: Mathematics
  • Mathematical & Physical Sciences: Physics
  • Performing Arts: Music
  • Performing Arts: Theatre and Dance
  • Psychology
  • Public Affairs - Ethics, Politics & Social Policy: Ethics and Philosophy
  • Public Affairs - Ethics, Politics & Social Policy: Government and Politics
  • Religion: Historical & Comparative Studies
  • Religion: Religion & Culture
  • Sociology and Anthropology: Sociology
  • Sociology and Anthropology: Anthropology/Cross-Cultural Sociology
  • Visual Arts: Art History
  • Visual Arts: Studio Art
  • Women’s Studies
  • Individualized Major: An opportunity for students to design an alternative major of special interest

[edit] Co-education

Though historically a women's college, in October 2004 Wells announced that it would become a co-educational institution beginning the following year. Officials cited a need to increase enrollment and revenue, but promised that the college would continue to "focus on the advancement of women", in accordance with its rich tradition [3]. The announcement was highly controversial and met with protest from many students and alumnae [4], [5].

[edit] Athletics

Wells is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III member. The College currently offers six varsity women’s sports teams: field hockey, soccer, tennis, swimming, lacrosse, and softball. All six are members of the New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA), while field hockey, soccer, swimming, softball and lacrosse compete in the Atlantic Women’s Colleges Conference (AWCC).

In fall 2005, Wells introduced men’s soccer and swimming teams at the club level, and an intercollegiate cross-country team for both men and women. When these new programs elevate to varsity status in the 2006-07 academic year, they will participate at the NCAA Division III level. The College continues to develop plans for additional sport sponsorship that are inclusive of both men and women, and meet the needs of college students today.

Wells College announced plans in late 2005 to add a men’s lacrosse team beginning in Spring 2007. Men’s lacrosse will be offered at the club level during the first year, and will elevate to the intercollegiate level in the 2007-2008 season.

Wells offers a variety of indoor and outdoor facilities. The Schwartz Center houses a swimming pool, gymnasium, and two tennis courts. Renovations for a new state-of-the-art fitness center are taking place with an expected spring 2006 opening. Outdoor facilities include four newly rebuilt tennis courts, softball field, boathouse, a 9-hole golf course (partially designed by famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones) and game fields for field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. New cross-country running trails have been designed and will be developed this spring.

[edit] Honor Code

Like a number of other liberal arts colleges, Wells has an honor code to which all students subscribe. By signing the Honor Code, Wells students pledge "not to lie, cheat, steal, deceive, or conceal in the conduct of their collegiate life". [6] Wells prides itself on its honor code, which permits it to maintain an environment where students are able to have take-home exams, and to work in their dorm rooms, at the library, or on the dock by the lake, rather than in crowded classrooms.

[edit] Trivia

  • A famous tradition at Wells College in Aurora holds that if the Cayuga Lake completely freezes over, classes are cancelled (albeit for only one day). According to Wells College records, this last happened in 1979. However, other sources suggest that the only time the entire lake froze over in the 20th century was in 1912. The freezing of the lake is said to signify the virginity of the entire freshman class.
  • In September 2000, Wells held a festival, Return to Chonodote, honoring the area's Haudenosaunee past and present. The event was co-sponsored by SHARE, members of the Cayuga Nation and Onondaga Nation, and Ithaca College.
  • Aurora Village-Wells College Historic District is considered an historic place.

[edit] Notable alumnae

[edit] Notable faculty past and present

[edit] External links

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