Philanthropists Calvin E. Tyler Jr. and his wife, Tina, have committed to donate $20 million to Morgan State University to fund scholarships for future students nearly 60 years after Tyler himself was forced to drop out of the university because he couldn’t afford the tuition.
The couple previously made a $5 million commitment in 2016 to provide need-based financial support to Morgan State students from Baltimore through the Calvin and Tina Tyler Endowed Scholarship Fund, which was established in 2002. The Tylers were “compelled to expand their giving,” amid the coronavirus pandemic to help struggling families, according to a press release.
The scholarship fund has already supported 222 Morgan students in total, including 46 full-tuition and 176 partial scholarships. To be eligible for the scholarship, which is now national, students must meet a specified financial criteria and maintain a 2.5 GPA.
The new expanded donation is the second-largest private financial gift in the university’s history, behind only last year’s $40 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
“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,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University. “We are forever indebted to the Tylers.”
A new student services building called Tyler Hall bears the couple’s name and cements “their legacy of philanthropic giving” and connection to the university, the press release says.
The 78-year-old Tyler first enrolled at Morgan State to study business administration in 1961, and was the first in his family to attend college. In 1963 he was forced to drop out because of a lack of funding. Tyler began working as one of the first 10 Black UPS drivers in 1964, where he worked his way up the corporate ladder and became the senior vice president of operations before retiring in 1998 and joining the company’s board of directors.
Now Tyler is expanding his commitment to support those facing financial hardships while pursuing higher education.
“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 said in a statement. “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.”
Fall 2020 demographics show that 90 percent of the 7,600 students receive financial aid at the 154-year-old university, where The Washington Post reports tuition and fees are about $7,600 for residents of the state and some $18,000 for non-residents.
“We’re trying to help young people succeed and this goal is aligned with Morgan’s mission; it’s such a perfect fit. We believe that Morgan State happens to be the best institution to use these resources,” added Tyler.
