More than 150 years ago, Wells College was established on the shores of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. It was created as a college for women, proclaiming the motto, "Think critically, reason wisely, and act humanely.” The school produced many notable female scholars and entrepreneurs. But this week, the college abruptly announced that it would be closing permanently at the end of the current semester, only one week away. It's the end of an era or, more properly, a large number of eras. I have something of a relationship with the school because my wife received her Bachelor's Degree there and it's located close to where we both grew up. But why is it closing after all this time? As with so many institutions these days, it was a question of money and declining enrollment. (Times Union)

Wells College, in the Finger Lakes, is closing at the end of the semester, college officials announced Monday morning in a letter posted to the college website.

“This is a difficult letter to write and an even more difficult letter to read and process. It is with profound sadness that we announce the forthcoming closure of our beloved Wells College at the end of this academic semester,” wrote Board Chair Marie Chapman Carroll and President Jonathan Gibralter.

The college also announced a teach-out plan, starting with a partnership with liberal arts school Manhattanville University in Purchase, Westchester County.

Like many smaller, privately funded schools, Wells had been struggling with financial difficulties for many years. It finally became too much of an uphill battle, apparently. But it's worth asking how and why the wheels came off after that long of a history. Those who are familiar with the ups and downs that Wells went through can probably offer a few guesses.

As mentioned above, Wells was an all-women's school. This was a point of pride among alumni and staff alike, providing a safe, comfortable environment for all of the young ladies there. That fact also made the school a popular place to visit. My wife shared tales with me about a bus route that was set up to bring young male students from a nearby co-ed college to Wells every weekend. I will spare you the somewhat crude nickname that the route earned, but let's just say there were more and a few collegiate-age men who were eager for a chance to "try their luck."

However, that single-sex environment also meant that the school's potential pool of applicants was cut in half. Also, an education at Wells was not cheap. They wound up competing against state schools in the region. Over the decades, they struggled. That appeared to change in 2004 when the school announced that it would begin accepting students of both genders. They actually included something about "gender not specified," but that was before the word transgender became all the rage like it is today.

That was a bridge too far for many. My wife stopped donating money to Wells on the day the announcement came out and many of her fellow alumni did likewise. She didn't see it as a "woke" move during that period. The school was just trying to drive up admissions and stabilize its financial situation. Apparently, the plan didn't succeed. They managed to remain open for twenty more years, but now it's over.

That's a shame in my opinion. Today there are barely 30 women-only colleges left across all of the United States and Canada. That number is down vastly from the nearly 250 that existed in 1960. It feels like we're losing something as a society. The modern era has brought many societal changes down upon our heads, but not all of them have been good.