Wells served in numerous other appointed positions: economic analyst for the U.S. State Department's Office of Foreign Economic Cooperation in Washington, D.C. (1943–44); cultural affairs adviser to the U.S. Military Government in West Germany (1947–48); U.S. delegate to the Twelfth Session of the United Nations General Assembly (1957); and adviser to the Ministry of Pakistan (1959), among other appointments. Wells was a member and often assumed a leadership role in several educational foundations, including the Education and World Affairs organization (1962–70), the Carnegie Foundation, the American Council on Education (1944–45), and the National Commission on Humanities (1964–65), among others. He was a member of presidential committees on overseas voluntary activities and U.S.-Soviet trade relations, as well as serving on several boards of directors, such as the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (1936–71) and the Lilly Endowment (1972–2000). A recipient of numerous honors and awards, including twenty-eight honorary degrees, Wells received many tributes to his long career. IU student scholarships and student recognition awards, as well as memorials on the IU Bloomington campus and the main campus library are named in his honor. Wells was also the subject of a PBS documentary film. His autobiography, "Being Lucky: Reminiscences and Reflections", was published in 1980.