Laura Sparks selected as the 13th President of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
“I am eager to meet more of the college’s passionate, thoughtful and accomplished students, and to engage with its extraordinary faculty as we move the institution forward while holding true to its founding principles. I am confident that together we can reaffirm our sense of mission, stabilize Cooper’s finances and rebuild the trust of our constituents. All of these steps will be essential as we work to identify a route to restoring full-tuition scholarships for all undergraduates.” – Laura Sparks
The Cooper Union’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved Laura Sparks’ appointment, which follows the conclusion of an extensive search process conducted by a search team with participation of alumni and faculty from all four schools. More than 300 applications were considered, and eleven of these candidates were interviewed at length.
Past Events
Windows on the Bowery — A guided Tour
Cooper Union alumni and representatives of The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors came together on Tuesday evening, July 26th at 6:30 pm for a special tour of Windows on the Bowery, an exhibit in the Colonnade windows on the west side of the Foundation building .
The exhibit was hung in the Foundation building colonnade’s 32 windows with the posters facing outward so they could be viewed from the street. The exhibit had 64 posters showcasing the history of notable places located on the Bowery between Street and Astor Place. Read More
2016 Founder’s Day Block Party
The Founder’s Day Block Party was held on September 3, 2016 on the 4th Avenue side of the Foundation building and on 7th Street in front of the Foundation Building.
Cooper Union Chemical Engineers Gather at The Ukrainian Restaurant
The Cooper Union was well represented at the Annual Dinner for the Metro NY American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The event was held at the Ukrainian Restaurant on 9/21/2016. The event had 65 attendees in total representing 5 engineering schools and many businesses. Cooper Union was represented by 19 chemical engineers. Kristine Chin ChE’94/ MChE’95 was the speaker for the evening. Kristine Chin is the Director, Meeting & Conference Programming at The American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Mary Lynch ChE ’82 introduced Kristine Chin. Read More
CUAA Council Meetings
The first CUAA Council meeting for the 2016/2017 school year was held on September 21, 2016. At this meeting the new officers and council members were welcomed and given an orientation. The Council also approved the Certificate of Amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Cooper Union Alumni Association, incorporated under Section 803 of the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, and revised by-laws to support the Constitution approved by the Alumni Body in May 2016..
After approval by the council, meeting minutes will be posted on our website here. More information about the council can be found here.
Class Reps and Regional Reps Are Needed.
The Alumni Affairs Office is looking to revitalize the class/regional representatives. Below are some of a Class or Regional Rep’s responsibilities:
- Outreach and Fundraising – Call on alumni, parents and friends to be involved and participate in Cooper and CUAA programs and events such as Phonathon, CUAA Pop Ups, CUAA Elections and Cooper Meetups. By reaching out to community members, we encourage support for today’s Cooper students.
- Networking – Connect classmates and Cooper through phone, email, and social media. Through our networks we are able to share and connect our community to internships, employment, social and cultural happenings and more.
- Events – Volunteer and give your time and expertise at an on-campus or regional event. Class reps are integral to the success of Reunion Weekend and regional volunteers plan pop up events to unite Cooper allies throughout the year.
Alumni Ambassadors
The second year of the Alumni Ambassadors program has begun. This program allows alumni to assist Cooper Union Admissions staff at college fairs. The Fall 2016 College fair season began on September . In new York City, the attendance at college fairs is huge, frequently exceeding 600 high school students. There typically is an equally large crowd of parents all hoping to get some one-on-one time with representatives from their favorite colleges. Some additional volunteers are needed. The application will be on the support.cooper.edu website soon. The Alumni Ambassadors are provided a full set of training materials and additional in-person training before accompanying a member of the Admission staff. Learn More
Alumni – Student Career Mentoring Program
May 2016 marked the end of the 2nd year of this very successful program organized by Jolie Woodson in the Career Services Office. A thank you event was held on the 2nd floor of the New Academic building in May for both Mentors and Students. The 3rd year of the Program began with a kick-off event on September 15th. This year the program includes approximately 70 alumni and 70 students making it the largest ever mentoring program at The Cooper Union. This program is administered by Jolie Woodson, MSEd, EdM; Director, Engineering Career Development
Alumni Profiles
Jack Yogman ChE 1920
Jack Yogman was born in 1920. He graduated from The Cooper Union with a chemical engineering degree in 1948. Jack Yogman became president and chief executive officer of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. on July 29, 1971. He briefly served as Vice President at Esquire Magazine in 1977 and at the same time he served on the Board of Directors for Ward Foods.
Jack Yogman ChE’48 served in the Cooper Union Alumni Association as a Council Member and as an Alumni Trustee. Jack is a member of the Lifetime Giving Society at The Cooper Union. Jack received a President’s Citation award from the Cooper Union in 1971. He was the CUAA Alumnus of the Year in 1986, and he was enrolled in The Cooper Union Hall of Fame in 2009.
Alexander Lurkis Eng 1930
Alexander Lurkis was born on Oct. 1, 1908. He graduated from The Cooper Union Night School of Engineering in 1930 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He married a fellow Cooper Union student, Carin Tendler Lurkis A’29, in 1930.
He investigated New York City power failures in 1959 and 1961. He supervised the writing of the The New York City Electric Code. He oversaw the conversion of NYC street lights from incandescent lights to mercury light bulbs and he is the designer of the ubiquitous mercury lamp post. (See: Cooper Hewitt Museum Lamp Post Sketches by Alexander Lurkis link)
Alexander Lurkis designed a new book lift 42d Street Public Library in New York City. He has 11 patents covering utility poles, traffic signals, and security systems. He predicted future of gas turbine for peak power before the Federal Power Commission.
Alexander authored a novel titled, A Serpent at her Breast in 1996. The novel is a romantic novel set in Indonesia. Link He was inducted into the Cooper Union Hall of Fame in 2009. Learn More
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni accomplishments featured prominently on our website… Please take a look!
Share your accomplishments by posting them on The Official CUAA FaceBook page and LinkedIn Group
Cooper Motorsports Update
The Cooper Motorsports Team began the new school year by participating in the New Student Orientation and the Peter Cooper Block Party on September 3, 2016.
The team has more than 30 students this year. They are hosting a reception for Cooper Alumni on 9/28/16.
UPCOMING EVENTS
9/24/16 Hackethon – Party for Young Alumni Register
9/27/16 CUAA and Cooper Union Mixer Register
9/28/16 CU Motorsports Tour and Reception Register
10/1/16 Detroit Alumni Event Save the Date
10/6/16 Financial Services Alumni Group (FSAG) Fall launch
alumni working in the financial industries to a networking event in celebration of the new school year. Fall Social will be held at Cooper’s Craft & Kitchen—a restaurant and bar inspired by our founder Peter Cooper! Bring a friend, build your network and reconnect with Cooper over refreshments.
Thursday, October 6
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Cooper’s Craft & Kitchen in Chelsea
169 8th Ave New York, NY 10011
between 18th and 19th St.
21+ event, ID required Register
10/12/16 Mock Interview Night
Mock Interview Night is New and Improved! for the first time ever, we are opening up Mock Interview Night to alumni and students from all Cooper schools. The Office of Alumni Affairs and the Center for Career Development are seeking art, architecture and engineering alumni to volunteer and help current Cooper students practice their interviewing skills for internships, employment and graduate school. Wednesday, October 12, 2016. Please register to participate.
6:00–9:00 p.m.
Food and refreshments will be served Register
10/15/16 Open House New York
Once Again The Cooper Union will be hosting events as part of this city-wide celebration of architecture. Save the Date
10/26 & 10/27/2016 Fall Phonathon
We are doing a short Phonathon in the Fall, thank you to those who have already signed up. Save the Date
11/9/16 Washington DC Alumni Event Save the Date
11/10/16 Philadelphia Alumni Event Save the Date
12/1/16 Boston Alumni Event Save the Date
Useful Links
2016 Summer Edition of the CUAA newsletter
All editions of the CU Student Newspaper, The Pioneer, can be read on-line. http://pioneer.cooper.edu
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