James July-August 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 25
YOUNG HARRIS was founded in
1886 by a circuit riding preacher
named Artemas Lester who wanted
to provide residents of the then-isolated Appalachian Mountains with
an education. An on-campus farm
helped to support students who
could not afford tuition and the
college, then known as the McTyeire
Institute, soared to the next level
when an Athens judge named Young
Harris donated big money to keep
the school open.
Today, with a student population of around 1,500 and nearly 500
acres tucked into the mountains,
the school continues to improve. Dr.
John Wells was named president in
January, coming to the school from a
somewhat similar institution, Emory
and Henry University in southern
Virginia. That’s where Wells served
as its president from 2019-2024 and
is also Methodist affiliated with an
enrollment around 1,400. His experience there is invaluable for Young
Harris during a period of record
enrollment and fundraising, a shift
from NCAA Division III to Division
II athletics, the building of new
facilities and a move from college to
university status.
Wells is personally rooted in the
Methodist Church, having two parents who graduated from the Candler
School of Theology at Emory, one
of 13 seminaries affiliated with the
Methodist Church. He was raised in
Methodist parsonages and dabbled
in the pastoral arts before turning to
higher education. From 2016 to 2017,
Wells served as associate general secretary of the General Board of Higher
Education and Ministry and also
executive secretary of the National
Association of Schools and Colleges
of the United Methodist Church.
This is not Wells’ first time in
north Georgia. He previously served
as provost and interim president
of Young Harris from 2005 to 2009,
during the college’s transition from
junior college to senior college.
“When I was here before, we were
going through master planning in
2008 and 2009, and the college was
just transitioning to becoming a
four-year college, having been an
independent two-year college,” said
Wells. “It’s nice to see everything
from the buildings to the curriculum
we were planning and to see it all
in place now. The folks who served
as president over the last 16 years
have done a really fine job in getting
Young Harris up and going as a fouryear institution. It’s exciting to come
back and be part of running what I
was helping plan 20 years ago.”
Reflecting on his tenure
at Young Harris, Wells said
“I have been surprised
by how many people
have moved into these
mountain counties in
Georgia after COVID.
It was a far more sparsely populated
place 20 years ago than it is now.”
Wells takes the reins at somewhat of a strange time for universities. There is a cultural segment
more skeptical or distrustful of
universities than ever before and
funding questions have perhaps
never been as uncertain as now
when the Trump administration is
taking a new look at federal support.
These are items that unquestionably
weigh on a college president’s mind
in terms of budget planning but
also in terms of proving the value
of a post-secondary education. For
small liberal arts colleges like Young
Harris, there is some shielding from
Dr. John Wells
J U LY /AU GUST 2025
25
