2026 Hall of Fame Announcement

Ellen Lupton, A’85 | The Augustus Saint-Gaudens Award, for professional achievement in art

Ellen Lupton is a designer, writer, and educator. Her books include Thinking with Type, Design Is Storytelling, Graphic Design Thinking, Health Design Thinking, and Extra Bold. She teaches in the Graphic Design MFA program at MICA in Baltimore, where she serves as the inaugural Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair. She is Curator Emerita at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, where her exhibitions included Herbert Bayer: Bauhaus Master and The Senses: Design Beyond Vision. Her popular Type Mom persona on Instagram (@EllenLupton) shares design education with everyone. She graduated from The Cooper Union School of Art in 1985. She was curator of Cooper’s Herb Lubalin Study Center, 1985–1992.

David Gersten, AR ’91 | The John Q. Hejduk Award, for outstanding contribution to the theory, teaching and/or practice of architecture.

David Gersten is an artist, architect, writer, and educator whose work spans drawing, writing, film, performance, pedagogy, and the creation of new cultural and educational infrastructures. He is the Founding Director and President of Arts Letters & Numbers, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding the experiences understood as education through studios, workshops, residencies, youth programs, mentorship initiatives, exhibitions, performances, and global collaborations at its campus in Averill Park, NY and around the world.

Lou Manzione, ChE ’75 | The Gano Dunn Award, for professional achievement in engineering, industry, science or finance

Lou Manzione’s career spanned corporate research in Bell Labs, academics as a dean of engineering, and president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey.  After his B.E. from Cooper Union in 1975, he earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 1979. Lou was on the early cell phone design teams that helped define the features of this emerging technology, including antennas, cameras, user interfaces, and impact resistance. Lou was the founding Executive Director of Bell Labs in Ireland and moved to Ireland to launch this major international research center. Lou was named dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture at the University of Hartford in 2005. 

Pamela Belyea, AR ’85 | The Peter Cooper Public Service Award, for service to the public

Pamela Belyea earned her architecture degree from Cooper Union in 1985 and spent the following four decades applying her training to mission-driven creative and nonprofit projects. Her work centers around access, education, and community building. Pamela is best known as the co-founder of Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. Through her consulting practice, BelyeaConsult, Pamela helps artists and collectors shape meaningful cultural legacies. In 2020, Pamela and her husband created the Ben Faigin Music Opportunity Fund, to underwrite scholarships and performance opportunities for underrepresented youth. That same year, Pamela launched the Grievers Library, a volunteer-run, community-supported nonprofit offering free grief resources.

Ron Vogel, ChE ’01 | Alumnus of the Year, for dedication and commitment to the Cooper Union Alumni Association and The Cooper Union.

Ron Vogel, ChE’01, has devoted years of service to the Cooper Union Alumni Association (CUAA), helping strengthen the organization during a pivotal period in The Cooper Union’s history. He first served on the CUAA Alumni Council and went on to hold multiple leadership roles—as Chair of the Communications Committee, CUAA Treasurer, and CUAA President. Ron earned a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. He now practices as a life sciences patent lawyer at a premier law firm, counseling and advocating for clients navigating complex legal, financial, and scientific issues.

Andrew Keane, CE ’17, ’19 | Young Alumnus of the Year, for exemplary volunteerism and service to The Cooper Union Alumni Association

Andrew is an Associate and Senior Structural Engineer in AECOM’s Buildings+Places group, where he has worked on projects for Amtrak, the Federal Aviation Administration, Hospital for Special Surgery and the US Army Corps of Engineers. He is currently working on ADA accessibility upgrades at several subway stations for MTA Construction & Development.  Andrew is the current Secretary of the Cooper Union Alumni Association and has served as a Council Member. He has coached the Cooper Union Soccer Team since 2021.