Message From the President

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is the gift of Peter Cooper, an American dreamer and doer whose legacy lives on through Cooper Union graduates. Since 1859, the College that bears his name has prepared some of the most promising students in the nation for leadership in art, science, engineering, architecture and society at large.

Peter Cooper was a pioneer of the American dream. The son of an artisan, he had only one year of formal education; yet, he was able to build a business empire and become one of the wealthiest men of his time. He established The Cooper Union as the culmination of his lifelong dream—to give others the opportunity he had missed.

Peter Cooper's intent was to improve the lives of individuals. Instead, through the achievement of Cooper Union graduates—as problem solvers and innovators—he has improved the lives of millions. Cooper Union graduates not only realize the American dream, but refine and redefine it, contributing to the advancement of the human condition.

Today, we live in a period of intense global turmoil and revolutionary change. It is an extraordinary moment to be immersed in higher education—and Cooper Union is an exceptional academic community in which to address the challenges we face.

Our goal for the College today is to continue the rich legacy of Peter Cooper into the 21st Century; to reinforce the core values and culture that made the College the great institution that it is; to embrace its strengths while also transcending its boundaries.

We want to ensure that The Cooper Union continues to provide a higher education of unparalleled excellence—appropriate to evolving technology and increasingly complex social systems—and continues to produce graduates who are not only innovative leaders but who are characterized by exemplary human values.

We also want to renew our urban campus to provide state-of-the-art facilities and resources for our faculty and students.

Our noble mission of providing free access to professional education of the highest quality is a costly one, with architecture, art and engineering among the most expensive disciplines in which to educate undergraduates. At this critical moment in our history we, like other great colleges and universities, must offer philanthropists at all levels the opportunity to invest in an exceptionally worthy cause. Continuing Cooper Union's legacy is just that.

The Campaign for Cooper Union seeks to raise $250 million to sustain the strength and vitality of the College, producing the leaders we need now and for the future. Your participation will help secure an extraordinary legacy in higher education and make new again an old American dream.