THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the Annual Fund last fiscal year. Your generous support has helped keep Cooper Union on track to achieve the goals set forth in the 10-year plan to return to 100% scholarships for all students!
Thank You for Your Nominations for 2021 Alumni Awards!
Nominations were accepted through October 30, 2020 for the following Awards: Peter Cooper Service Award; Gano Dunn Award; John Q. Hejduk Award; Augustus Saint-Gaudens Award. Any nominations that were submitted after that date will be considered for the 2022 awards.
This year, Award winners will be announced in December of 2020. The Award Ceremony will happen in February 2021.
Nominate an alumnus or alumna for a position on the 2021 Ballot
Nominations are being accepted for positions on the spring 2021 ballot. This includes CUAA President, VP Alumni Activities, VP Faculty Student Liason, Alumni Trustee, Secretary, Treasurer, and Council Members.
To nominate yourself or someone you know, email contact@cooperalumni.org. Include in the subject line Nomination for (include position). In the body of the email include the name of the nominee and contact information as well as your name and contact information. A member of the Nominating Committee will contact you/nominee for further information. Learn More
Upcoming CUAA Events
CUAA First Tuesday
Social Event for December is tentatively scheduled for December 1, 2020 — Save the Date
Upcoming CUAA Council Meetings
The November 2020 Council Meeting will be held via Zoom on November 19th. Register here to receive Zoom Link
New Alumni Regional Groups
South Korea: This group is lead by Brice Lee ChE’15, Daeyon Jung EE’09 and Keunyoung Park EE’11
Hong Kong: This group is lead by Tim Mark EE’90 and Vivian Poon EE’93
If you are interested in participating or becoming a group leader, or if you would like to form a new Regional group, please contact Anna S. Covatta, Assistant Director, Alumni Affairs at anna.covatta@cooper.edu
A list of Alumni Regional Groups is here
New Student and Alumni Facebook Support Group
The Cooper Union Covid-19 support group was created by Barry Drogin EE’83 on April 1, 2020 for members of the Cooper Union Community. It is a resource for people seeking help and people volunteering to help. It is also a place to share feelings, information, and resources.
Recent Events
Cooper Union in Tech Mixer was held on October 22, 2020.
The virtual event explored career growth in software engineering. The moderator was Chris Curro EE’15 / MEE’16 and the panelists were David Katz EE’15 / MEE’15, Ethan Elenberg EE’12 and William Donahue EE’98 / MEE’99.
For more information on the CU in Tech or other Alumni Affinity Groups or to suggest a new Alumni Affinity group: Learn More
Alumni in the News
Photo from Madame Architect
Alumni Trustee, Elizabeth Graziolo AR’95 was featured in an article in Madame Architect Magazine titled, Agile and Unhindered: Yellow House Architects’ Elizabeth Graziolo on Working All Over the World and Venturing Off on Her Own on September 17, 2020. In this article, Elizabeth answers questions from Julia Gamolina on her architecture training and her career at two architectural firms and as the principal of her own firm. Elizabeth says being admitted to The Cooper Union is one of the highlights of her life. Read Article.
The sculpture created by Meredith Bergmann A’77 honoring the pioneers of the suffragist movement was unveiled on Wednesday August 26, at 7:45 am in Central Park. The event was live-streamed and watched by thousands. A video of the ceremony is available Here
Meredith Bergmann is the recipient of the CUAA’s 2019 Augustus Saint-Gaudens Award for Professional Achievement in Art. She was also the key note speaker at the CU Alumni and Trustee event on September 29, 2020. A recording of this presentation is available on-line. See Video
New Student and Alumni Facebook Support Group
A Cooper Union COVID-19 Support Group was created by Barry Drogin EE’83 on April 1, 2020, for members of the Cooper Union Community. It is a resource for people seeking help and people volunteering to help. It is also a place to share feelings, information, and resources.
Summary of the CU Covid-19 Response
Here is a look back at how the pandemic has changed campus life and how students and alumni have adapted. Learn More
Venice Masked
Venice Masked 2021 is a curated exhibition to be held in Venice from May 22, 2021, through November, 2021. The exhibit will open a dialogue on the future of public space and re-imagine Venice’s immediate future. The Venice Masked 2021 committee invites you to reinterpret a Venice location such as a square, a public building, the waterfront, a bridge, a church, etc.
This call for entries is open to Cooper Union alumni and Italian architects. The work of the selected participants will be displayed during the exhibition in Venice and later in New York City (dates to be determined). For additional information, contact Venice.Masked@gmail.com
In Memoriam
Mina Greenstein A’56 passed away on March 25, 2020. She was an AIGA award-winning graphic designer and art director of children’s books. She was a dedicated volunteer serving as the CUAA representative on multiple faculty committees. She served many terms on the CUAA Council and one term as VP Faculty Student Liaison. She was always a strong advocate for CU Students and spoke passionately against charging tuition. Read more.
Milton Glaser A’51 passed away on June 26, 2020. He is a member of the CU hall of Fame, and was a member of the Cooper Union Board of Trustees. He was part of a Cooper Couple. His wife, Shirley Girton Glaser, graduated from the CU School of Art in 1956. He and Shirley collaborated on the children’s books “If Apples Had Teeth” (1960), “The Alphazeds” (2003) and “The Big Race” (2005). He produced the “I ♥ NY,” logo for a 1977 NYS tourism promotion to accompany the “I Love New York” musical theme. He explained to a Cooper Union Audience in 2011, that the reason this logo worked so well, is that the human brain loves puzzles – so long as it can figure them out. Read More.
Alfred Zalon A’48 passed away on September 10, 2020. He was part of a Cooper Couple. His wife was Mary Rankin A48. Alfred earned a master’s degree in art at the University of Wyoming and taught Art at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Ultimately Al moved to pharmaceutical advertising, becoming VP /Creative Director of the firm Kallir, Philips, Ross Inc. where he spent the last 20 years of his career.
The Class of 1948 had 9 Cooper Couples. The class of 1948 remained remarkably close throughout their lives. They gathered for reunions at Cooper Green Camp, with their children and grandchildren in the summers, and celebrated life’s passages together. Learn More.
Past Cooper Union President, Bill Lacy, passed away on August 25, 2020. Learn More.
Sadly, many alumni have passed away during 2020. 2020 In Memoriam.
School News
The Architecture School’s 2020 End of the Year show is available as a virtual exhibit until December 31, 2020. See the Show. A video explaining how to enter and navigate the virtual exhibit was recently created See Video.
The Art School’s 2020 End of the Year Show will be available on-line until July of 2021. See the Show
CU President Laura Sparks kicked off a new school year with a welcoming message via video. See Video
On October 13, 2020, the Engineering Deans held a virtual meeting that included a presentation and Q&A about the fall 2020 semester. Dean Barry Shoop and Associate Deans Lisa Shay and Ruben Savizky ChE’98 spoke on how they transitioned Cooper’s distinctive pedagogy online, how students, faculty and staff are growing and learning amidst this change, and the challenges, successes, and unexpected opportunities they have faced along the way.
The Engineering Open House for high school students and their parents was held via Zoom and is available on YouTube. View Video. The Architecture Open House was held on November 1st.
Cooper Motorsports Team
The May 2020 FSAE Competition was cancelled because of the pandemic. The 2020 team which has 85 students, is now shifting gears and designing an Electric Powered car for the May 2022 FSAE Competition. CU Motorsports’ transition to an electric vehicle helps ensure students continue to graduate with industry-relevant skills as the automotive industry is transitioning to non-carbon fuels. As in past years, the Cooper Motorsports team needs alumni support and this year’s team looks forward to engaging with alumni. Learn More
Upcoming Events and Exhibitions
For a listing of Events and Exhibitions hosted by The Cooper Union click here.
CU@Lunch with Cassandra Guan A’11
Tuesday, November 10 at 12:00 – 2:00 p.m Cassandra Xin Guan is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Modern Culture and Media at Brown University. Her research combines the theory of moving image aesthetics with environmental and global media studies Learn More
CU@Lunch with Mark Gibson A’02:
Tuesday, November 17 at 12:00 – 2:00 p.m Mark Thomas Gibson A’02 is an artist who uses modes of caricature, pop, fantasy and narrative to reflect on current American history. He is a professor at Temple University. Learn More Need Link
Planned Giving Webinar 
Tuesday, November 17 at 1:00 – 2:00PM ET
Via Zoom, details to be sent the day before the event Register
Cooper Union on Wall Street (CUWS) 
Save the date for a virtual discussion and Q&A between CUWS and the student group TAMID on Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 p.m. Learn More
Alumni in Law Group
This group strives to use the alumni network to connect with Cooper Alumni who have chosen to pursue a career in the legal field through events and ad hoc meetups. It will hold a virtual meetup on December 1, 2020
Holiday Party and Quarterly Alumni Trustee Event
The annual Cooper Union Holiday Party will be held via Zoom. Cooper Union Alumni, Students and Staff are invited.
Save the date for the quarterly alumni and trustee event on Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 p.m.
Alumni Directory is On-Line
Use it to find your classmates by selecting the Alumni Tab on the http:/support.cooper.edu website. Next select Find Your Classmates in the column on the left side of the page.
You need to have your password to log into the alumni directory. You may get a password by registering on the login screen.
Most Requested On-line Cooper Union Information
The School has two websites: Cooper.edu and support.cooper.edu and CUAA has one: CooperAlumni.org
Here are some direct links to resources located on all three that are frequently requested.
| Alumni Directory |Cooper Union Faculty & Staff Directory | CUAA Meetings | Hall of Fame | Trustee Reports | Faculty-Student Senate Reports | Engineering Student Council Reports |In-Memoriam