By Kim Scotto-Kelley

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) is honored to announce a new endowed scholarship, the Tyler “Tyce” Hall Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]This scholarship will provide support for students in their junior or senior year majoring in forest resources and conservation. [/inlinetweet]The fund was started by Tyler Hall’s family and friends after his passing in June 2020 at the age of 21.

“There was nothing that my son loved more than the University of Florida: the Swamp, football, the community, just everything about it,” said Kristen Hall, Tyler’s mother. “It had always been his dream to attend. To him, there was no other school, and he worked hard his whole life to get there.”

After earning his associate degree from Santa Fe College, Tyler transferred to UF and joined the forest resources and conservation program. Even as courses moved online this past spring, Tyler made an impression on his classmates. He was known by his peers for his kindness, generosity and positive attitude.

He was also notable for his passion for Gator football. Tyler, known as “Tyce” by many Gator fans, could be found at every home game, sitting in Section D and wearing his signature Gator Hawaiian shirt. Fans could also follow his commentary about the games on his Twitter account.

His infectious personality and school spirit made him a recognizable figure on campus. The endowment fund, which initially started as a crowdfunding campaign that raised around $34,000, was funded entirely by friends and family wanting to show their love and support for Tyler. As the total grew, his parents started exploring options for what to do with the funds.

They eventually decided to create a scholarship fund to support students who share Tyler’s passion for natural resources.

“I joke that there’s only one other thing that Tyler would like us to do with the money, which is to rename the Swamp after him!” his mom said. “This isn’t a gift from us – It’s a gift from all the people who love Tyler and were touched by him. He was always everyone’s biggest fan and cheerleader, so we hope that this scholarship will touch even more people.”

Contributions to the Tyler “Tyce” Hall Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund will continue to be accepted at uff.ufl.edu/giving-opportunities/25115-tyler-tyce-hall-endowed-memorial-scholarship.

-30-

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) administers the degree programs of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The mission of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is to deliver unsurpassed educational programs that prepare students to address the world’s critical challenges related to agriculture, food systems, human wellbeing, natural resources and sustainable communities. The college has received more total (national and regional combined) USDA teaching awards than any other institution.
cals.ufl.edu | @UFCALS

0