Shuttered SWFL college lives on with $10M scholarship fund

Hodges University in Naples and Fort Myers, which closed in 2024, has taken on a new life in the form of a $10 million scholarship through the Collier Community Foundation.

The foundation, in a statement last month, announced the creation of the Hodges University Scholarship Fund. It stems from the transfer of nearly $10 million in charitable assets from the former Hodges University, the foundation says. The funds, which are permanent, “ensures that donor intent is preserved while continuing Hodges’ legacy of expanding educational opportunity for students across Southwest Florida,” the release states. 

The Hodges University Scholarship Fund will provide support for students in Collier, Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Charlotte counties, offering scholarships for technical, vocational, undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees or certificates.

Hodges University was founded in 1990 as International College. Area philanthropists Earl and Thelma Hodges made a $12 million gift to the college in 2007, which led to the name change. It also led to more classes and academic offerings, including online offerings, and a “deepened commitment to serving adult learners, veterans and first-generation college students,” the release states.

But in August 2023 the school announced it would close in 2024, citing a major drop in enrollment. The school had more than 2,200 students in fall 2013, according to federal data cited by online industry publication Higher Ed Dive. That had fallen some -80%, to 440 students by fall 2022. In addition, the university’s accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges, placed Hodges on probation, in 2022, Higher Ed Dive reported, saying it hadn’t met its benchmarks for board governance and financial responsibility. (A Fort Myers Christian school bought the former Hodges campus in Fort Myers in April 2024 for $28.6 million.)

“Throughout its history, Hodges University was committed to helping students achieve their dreams through education,” former Hodges University President Charlene Wendel says in the release. “By partnering with the Collier Community Foundation, that commitment will continue — opening doors for learners across our region for generations to come.”

As part of the transfer, $1 million will be dedicated in honor of philanthropist Lavern Norris Gaynor, a longtime advocate for education and opportunity in Collier County. “We are honored to carry forward the legacy of Hodges University and to recognize the transformational philanthropy of Thelma Hodges, whose vision and generosity helped shape the institution and expand access to higher education in our region,” CCF President and CEO Eileen Connolly-Keesler says in the release. “We are also grateful for the support of donors like Lavern Norris Gaynor. Through this scholarship fund, students across Southwest Florida will have access to the education and opportunity they need to succeed.”

Students interested in the Hodges University Scholarship Fund can visit swflscholarships.org to review eligibility requirements. The CCF Common Application opened on November 1, 2025, at colliercf.org/scholarships.