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The Cleveland Commission for Wells, which formed to prevent the college's closure, said they submitted a bid to acquire the campus. 

Offers were due Thursday. 

"This imposing deadline was not enough to deter the commission, as we had already been envisioning our own approach to restoring the college as an institution of higher education," said Caolan MacMahon, co-chair and founding member of the commission. 

The Cleveland Commission would continue the college's liberal arts focus, according to a news release, and pledged to work with the village of Aurora and other organizations, namely the Community Medical Center and Peachtown Elementary School — both of which are continuing to operate on campus. 

The commission commits to restoring "the long-standing harmony between the village of Aurora and Wells, and bring exciting new opportunities to the community." They urged supporters to contact the state attorney general's office and support their effort to save Wells College. 

A separate offer is a joint venture between Grande Venues, the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge and Summit World Schools to transform the campus into an Indigenous college, international boarding school and senior housing community. The proposal builds on the Hiawatha Institute's initial plan for an Indigenous college at the site. 

According to the offer, the collaborative effort would "preserve and enhance the historic Wells College campus" and "provide a world-class educational environment attracting students globally."

The first phase of the project would be to acquire the campus and secure zoning approvals from the village for a mixed-use redevelopment. The venture would also apply for historic tax credits to support the renovation of the campus. 

In the second phase, Summit World Schools would be launched. The international boarding school would open in September with 50 to 100 students. By its third year, it would have more than 200 students. The Hiawatha Institute would establish the Indigenous college. 

A senior living community with 200 independent and assisted living residents would be created. The plan states the community would use the campus's existing facilities and provide "intergenerational activities with students." The Hiawatha Institute would begin to offer Indigenous college programs. 

"This accelerated acquisition and development plan ensures that Wells College is repurposed into a thriving, sustainable, dual-use facility, preserving its historic significance," the venture wrote. 

The call for offers was issued by CBRE, the commercial real estate firm that Wells selected to market the campus. CBRE listed the campus for sale in November and has been gauging interest in the property. 

At a meeting in January, CBRE representatives said there was "serious interest" from developers in buying the campus. It was revealed that more than 60 interested parties signed a confidentiality agreement to gain access to additional property information. 

It wasn't immediately known how many offers CBRE received. The college needs to sell the campus as it winds down operations and disposes of its assets. 

Any sale of the campus must be approved by the state attorney general's office.