Calvin and Tina Tyler Hall – Persistence & Philanthropy

Calvin & Tina

Tyler Hall

Persistence & Philanthropy

Calvin & Tina Tyler Hall

Calvin & Tina Tyler

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Lifelong Passion Fuels Purposeful Giving

early 60 years ago, when Calvin E. Tyler Jr. joined the Class of 1965 to study business administration at Morgan State, he could not have predicted his life’s journey and the indelible imprint his namesake would have at Morgan. Helping needy, deserving students attend college is something that resonates deeply with Tyler and his wife, Tina, both native Baltimoreans and former high-school sweethearts.

They’re nationally known philanthropists who have given millions to educational and other causes, especially those that help at-risk youth. But their giving to Morgan State University, including the establishment of an endowed scholarship in their name, has catapulted the Tyler name into the highest echelon of esteemed luminaries who decorate Morgan’s 153-year history.

Calvin Tyler’s meteoric rise from undergraduate study to one of MSU’s most celebrated benefactors was not a road void of circumstance and challenge. Tyler attended Morgan from 1961 through 1963 but could not afford to complete his degree program. The first of his family to go to college, Tyler, like many first-generation college students at Morgan worked multiple jobs, a major factor in ending his formal education prematurely.

Despite this, Tyler’s determination to succeed would fuel an arduous and calculated ascent up the corporate ladder of one of the nation’s foremost brands and Fortune 100 companies.

Two years after joining UPS as a driver, Tyler went into management at age 23. A decade or so later, he was leading a district in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1982, he became

the first African American to serve as vice president of operations for the company, running the West Coast region. Upon his retirement in 1998, Tyler held the position of senior vice president, the first African American to hold that title at UPS—and was a member of the company’s board of directors.

Never losing sight of his own humble beginnings, Tyler paralleled his professional achievement with a decades long campaign and mission to support those who, like him, encountered hardships and financial insecurities while pursuing their college degree. Together with his wife, Calvin Tyler has supported Morgan for more than a decade now. Ranking atop the many contributions made to the University, the Tylers’ gift is the largest commitment to date made by an individual benefactor to Morgan.

Endowed scholarships and other gifts have far-reaching implications for any institution, but for a public, urban university like Morgan, with students from a broad spectrum of academic, social and economic backgrounds, the need is especially great.

And the Tylers’ generosity has most certainly met that need, bridging the financial gap for many Morganites. Here at the National Treasure, the Tyler name is a mainstay at Morgan, from the Tyler Scholars to the Calvin and Tina Tyler Ballroom in the University Student Center.

Ever prominent in the Tyler legacy at Morgan is the physical manifestation of their lifelong passion for purposeful giving: a campus building that will bear the Tyler name henceforth. Situated on the corner of Cold Spring Lane and Hillen Road, the newly minted Calvin and Tina Tyler Hall Student Services Center is Morgan’s newest architectural treasure and a gateway to the sprawling, 152-acre campus in northeast Baltimore.

A hub for a number of services vital for student matriculation, from Admissions and Financial Aid to the Bursar and Records and Registration, Tyler Hall Student Services Center will undoubtedly share a notable distinction very few buildings on a college campus can claim. It is very likely that nearly all Morgan students will step foot in Tyler Hall during their time at Morgan: a fitting footnote and legacy for the Tyler family name, a name that serves as an invaluable inspiration to all.

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think anyone who has had any success in life and has the ability to reach back and help others, this is the time for them to do it.

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othing feels as good as giving.

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TYLER SCHOLARS

n 2016, Calvin E. Tyler Jr. and his wife, Tina, nationally known philanthropists, announced a $5-million gift to Morgan State University for an endowed scholarship fund in their name. The fund provides need-based scholarships that cover full tuition for select Morgan students who reside in the Tylers’ hometown of Baltimore City. The gift to the Calvin and Tina Tyler Endowed Scholarship Fund is the largest individual donation in Morgan’s history. Since its launch in 2002, the Tylers’ endowed fund has provided scholarships for 156 Morgan students.

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eople who set goals and are persistent are the ones who do the best in the long run.

” .”

Produced by Morgan State University

Division of Institutional Advancement Office of Public Relations & Strategic Communications

Design and Photography Paul A. Greene

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