Welcome to our New alumni!
Commencement Ceremonies took place on May , 2019. We are thrilled to welcome the new graduates into the CUAA. Congratulations on your achievement! 47 alumni received bachelor degrees in Art. 15 received bachelor degrees and 9 received masters degrees in Architecture. 110 received bachelor degrees and 32 received masters degrees in Engineering. 9 received bachelor degrees in Science. Learn More
Congratulations to the CUAA Service to the School Award Winners!
Each year the CUAA recognizes members of the graduating class who have provided outstanding service to the school. The award winners are chosen by the Department Deans and by the Director of alumni Engagement. The awards are presented to the awardees in an honor ceremony that occurs the day before graduation. This year the awards were given to Faye Blue for service to the School of Art; Vaughn Lewis and Parker Limon for service to the School of Architecture; Kavya Udupa (Eng) and Jhakai Deshong (Art) for service to students; Mary Dwyer for service to the school’s Development office.
The CUAA started a new Year on July 1, 2019.
Welcome to our new CUAA officers:
- President: Margaret Matz AR’83
- Alumni Trustees: Aftab Hussain ME’97; Elizabeth Graziolo, AR’95
- Secretary: Mary K. Lynch ChE ’82
- Treasurer: Daniel Burke ChE ’81
- Vice President Faculty-Student Liaison: Mark O’Grady
- Vice President of Alumni Activities: Kelly Occhiuzzo Zack A’90
- Nominating Committee Chair : Kay Nordstrom ME’77
New Committee Chairs have been selected for the new council year. See List
Recent Events
2019 End of Year Show ran May 21 – June 19, 2019
Once again, every gallery space, lobby and hallway was used to exhibit student projects during the End of Year Show, and students from every year and every discipline participated. On May 20th there was and Engineering Open House where students were present to explain their projects. The event went from 5 to 9 PM. The evening included a tour of the auto shop given by the CU Motorsports Team at 5:30 PM and a demonstration of the bridge building project given by the bridge team at 8 PM. See Photos
2019 CUAA Award Ceremony was held on May 30, 2019
The Founder’s Day Awards and the Awards for Alumni of the Year were presented at the CUAA Awards Ceremony on May 30, 2019. It began at 6PM with cocktails. At 6:30PM, the ceremony began in Rose Auditorium. Reception was held following the ceremony in the foyer near the 41 Cooper Square Gallery.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Award for professional achievement in art is presented to: Meredith Bergmann A’77
Gano Dunn Award for professional achievement in engineering, industry, science, or finance is presented to: Marisa Lago Phy’77
John Q. Hejduk Award for professional achievement in architecture is presented to: Joan Ockman AR’80
Peter Cooper Public Service Award for exemplary service to the public is presented to: Lyn Pentecost A’70
Alumni of the Year Awards for longstanding dedication and commitment to the CUAA is presented to: Robert Tan AR’81
The ceremony was followed by a reception originally schedule for the roof terrace, but held in the foyer outside the auditorium because of rain. See Photos
Council News
The May CUAA Council meeting was held on May 14, 2019
24 alumni attended this meeting. CUAA President, Paul Nikulin, opened the meeting with a passionate plea for alumni to make contributions to The Cooper Union before the end of the Fiscal year on June 30th. He indicated that we still need approximately 1000 alumni to make donations in order to achieve the same participation rate as last year. He then gave a summary of the accomplishments of the Founder’s Day award winners and of the Alumnus of the year. All five will be honored during the CUAA Awards night on May 30th. He than spoke about the upcoming 2019 Reunion events. Next there was an announcement of the Spring Election results. Paul noted that the 2 newly elected alumni trustees will begin their terms on the Board of Trustees when openings come up . One opening may come up this summer if new non-alumni trustees are added to the board, and an opening will arise in December when one of the existing alumni trustees finishes his term. The meeting was adjourned early to provide time for council members to do phone and email outreach to fellow alumni in support of the end of year fundraising effort.
The July Council Member Retreat was held on July 10 and 18, 2017
The Annual Retreat is a goal setting meeting that includes the incoming and outgoing CUAA officers. This year all Council members and officers were invited. A theme that emerged during the July 10 Retreat discussions as being significant is the desire to increase alumni connections. Alumni wish to connect to the school, to the students, and to each other. The July 18 Retreat continued the discussion
In Memoriam:
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Thomas Nozkowski, A’67 |
Thomas Nozkowski, A’67 was a well admired abstract expressionist. He had numerous group and solo exhibitions, including two in 2018. Tom received a Cooper Union Presidential Citation in 2008 and was inducted into The Cooper Union Hall of Fame in 2009. |
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Irwin Harrison Wolfe ME’48 |
Irwin Harrison Wolfe ME’48 passed away in March of this year shortly after his 104th birthday. He had been our oldest living alumnus. His career spanned more than 40 years with much of it spent with the RCA corporation where he rose to senior engineer, section head, and project director status, designing a variety of machines in numerous areas. |
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Jack Schwalbe CE’62 Night |
Jack William Schwalbe, CE’62 was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Illsheim, Germany for 2 years in 1951. After returning, he attended Wagner College and then Cooper Union on the G.I. Bill where he received his B.S. degree in Structural Engineering in 1962. He worked at Electric Boat, a division of General Dynamics where he designed submarine hull structures. He worked for approximately 30 years at Florida Institute of Technology (F.I.T., now Florida Tech). Learn More |
Sadly we have lost several alumni during 2019
School News:
The CU Bridge Building Team participated in the AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition at both the regional and national level. The national competition was held at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, May 31 – June 1. 41 teams participated.
The CU Motorsports Team competed amongst 120 teams in the FSAE competition held in Brooklyn, Michigan, May 8-11, 2019.
The Team placed 8th in the Design component of the competition, which is the highest place finish in the team history. Learn More.
Cooper Union Invention Factory 2019 is a success. It ran from Wed, June 26th to Tues. August 6th. Professors Adam Wolfe and Eric Lima are conducted the 7th edition of Invention Factory and they thank alumni for participating as judges. Invention Factory was initially funded by annual gifts from Edward Durbin EE ’48 and is currently funded by The Edward Durbin and Joan Morris Innovation Fund.
First prize went to Jeannette Circe ME’22 and Sanjna Rao ChE’22 who created a wearable device that keeps a diary of brain activity for people with epilepsy. Second prize to Caitlin Reina ME’22 and Gianna Slusher ME’22, the inventors of an at-home system for early breast cancer screening. Learn More
The Saturday Program celebrated its 50 year anniversary. Learn More
Alumni News:
Meredith Bergmann A’77 was featured on the CBS show Sunday Morning. Learn More
7 Art Alumni are participating in the Whitney Biennial which is running through September 22, 2019. Learn More
Jay Maisel A’52 is featured in the Film Jay-Myself playing in several cities
Kim Holleman A’95 has joined the faculty of The Cooper Union. She will be co-teaching EID 364 Engineer Your Career course with Professor Jean Chung. The Interdisciplinary course is for Artists, Architects and Engineers.
Upcoming Events
Grace Farms Tour
Saturday, September 14
Join us for this special opportunity to visit Grace Farms, which was established with the idea that space communicates and can inspire people to collaborate for good.
Where: New Canaan, CT
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Click here for more information.
270: Debating the Electoral College
Friday, September 20
Hear from leading voices in the debate about the electoral college, including Neal Peirce, author of The People’s President, the reigning standard for reforming the voting process, John R. Koza, who drafted the National Popular Vote bill that has been enacted into law in 15 states, Tara Ross, author of Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College, and Trent England, a conservative legal scholar and policy expert. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell moderates this discussion on whether the electoral college is an essential element of our democracy or an obstacle to it. Click here for more information.
Where: Foundation Building, Great Hall
Time: 6:30 p.m.
To register for the lecture, visit the registration page.
Sidney Blumenthal lecture
Tuesday, September 24th
Author Sidney Blumenthal recounts Abraham Lincoln’s astonishing ascent to the presidency from the Great Hall at The Cooper Union, the place Lincoln himself said helped to launch his candidacy. Alumni/Trustee Reception to follow in Houghton Gallery. Watch for further details.
Where: Foundation Building, Great Hall
Times: 6:30 p.m.
To RSVP, email Crystal Ortiz at crystal.ortiz@cooper.edu.
Cooper Alumni Golf Outing
Friday, September 27
The Garrison Golf Club
2015 US 9
Garrison, New York 10524
7:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast & Registration
8:00 a.m. Tee Off (scramble format, teams of 4)
1:30 p.m. Lunch and Prizes
Tickets: $350/person
$120 from your ticket purchase is tax-deductible, excluding goods and services received. This donation will go towards the Annual Fund supporting Cooper Union students.
Learn More and Register.
West Coast Alumni Meetup
Saturday, September 28
Join Cooper alumni for two site visits and a picnic. Led by Robert Alwitt CHE’54, we’ll start at the historic Petaluma Adobe ranch, then drive to the Mariano Vallejo estate for a picnic (bring your own lunch!), and finally walk around the Sonoma Mission. There are a number of wineries close to the Sonoma mission if you’d like to stop by afterwards.
Where: Sonoma, CA
Time:
10:30AM – Petaluma Adobe tour
12:00PM- lunch at Mariano Vallejo Home picnic grove (bring your own lunch!)
1:30PM – tour of Sonoma Mission
Email Hsu-Wei Shueh EE’90 if you are interested in attending.
SAVE THE DATE
Mock Interview Night – FALL
Where: TBD
When: October 3rd
Fall Events and Exhibitions at the Cooper Union
All editions of the CU Student Newspaper, The Pioneer, can be read on-line. http://pioneer.cooper.edu
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