Calvin E. Tyler Jr., former UPS Driver and Morgan State University Alumnus, Endows the HBCU with $20 Million

[Photo: Philanthropists Calvin E. Tyler Jr. and Tina Tyler with ‘Tyler Scholars,’ students with scholarships from the fund established in the Tylers’ name. September 2017, at groundbreaking for the Calvin and Tina Tyler Hall Student Services Center.]

Morgan State University recently announced receipt of a $20 million commitment from alumnus and philanthropist Calvin E. Tyler Jr. and his wife Tina Tyler, increasing an endowed scholarship fund previously established in the Tylers’ name.

In 2016, the Tylers made a commitment of $5 million to Morgan State — at the time the largest in Morgan’s history—bolstering the Calvin and Tina Tyler Endowed Scholarship Fund established in 2002 to provide full tuition scholarships for select need-based students residing in the Tylers’ hometown of Baltimore.

In light of the financial hardships and challenges a number of students and their families are facing as a result of the current pandemic, the Tylers were compelled to expand their giving to the HBCU. Once exclusive to students from Baltimore, the endowed scholarship is now national in scope and will benefit generations of future Morgan students seeking a college education.

To date, the endowed fund has supported 222 Morgan students by way of 46 full-tuition and 176 partial scholarships, with the promise of benefiting more ‘Tyler Scholars’ with the increased multimillion-dollar pledge and expanded scope.

“Morgan is so proud to call this son and daughter of the great City of Baltimore our own, and through their historic giving, the doors of higher education will most certainly be kept open for generations of aspiring leaders whose financial shortfalls may have kept them from realizing their academic dreams,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University.

“For public institutions, like Morgan, our charitable alumni are testaments to the legacy we collectively uphold, and the Tylers’ generosity over the years, culminating with this transformative commitment, is a remarkable example of altruism with great purpose. We are forever indebted to the Tylers.”

Calvin Tyler enrolled at Morgan State College in 1961 to study business administration. The first of his family to attend college, he later interrupted his matriculation in 1963 due to lack of funding and eventually took on a job as one of the first 10 United Parcel Service drivers in Baltimore in 1964.

At UPS Tyler would then work his way up the corporate ladder, ultimately ending up as senior vice president of operations before his retirement in 1998, and joining the company’s board of directors.

Through his 34-year career at the multinational package delivery company, Tyler committed with his wife Tina to support those who, like him, encountered hardships and financial insecurities while pursuing their college degree.

“My wife and I have become keenly aware of the effect that the pandemic has had on a number of young people trying to get an education [and] we have the resources to help a lot of young people,” Tyler shared. “This is why we are increasing our commitment at Morgan; we want to have more full tuition scholarships offered to young people so that they can graduate from college and enter the next stage of their life debt free.”

Students attending Morgan come from diverse backgrounds, often with unique circumstances, and a myriad of financial needs with 90% of students receiving financial aid.

Students applying for the Tyler Scholarship must meet certain financial criteria and maintain a minimum GPA requirement of 2.5.

The gift is believed to be the second largest contribution of its kind to any Historically Black College or University (HBCU) from an alum.