Commencement 2017: The Photo Gallery

  • Joseph Parrella AR'17 with his mother, Gina

  • Spirited faculty members processed around the Foundation Building.

  • Rachel Warren, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and President Laura Sparks at their first Cooper graduation in those roles

  • Ashley Armitage helped Professor David Gersten before the ceremony.

  • Eric Mendoza-Conner EE'17 got some help from his dad.

  • The East Village was alerted to the start of Cooper's graduation with the music of a bagpipe corps, a school tradition.

  • Minh Bui A'17 with her mother

  • A proud father celebrated in style.

  • Evan McGiffert A'17 prepared to receive his diploma.

  • Cyan Miller CE'17 and John Donnellan ME'17 sang the national anthem.

  • Sheik Faiyaz Jaffer of NYU gave the invocation.

  • President Sparks reflected on her first semester at The Cooper Union.

  • Dean Bill Germano presented the Toni and David Yarnell Merit Award of Excellence in Art to Maja Coleman Griffin

  • Nina Tandon E'01 was awarded a presidential citation for her cutting-edge work in the field of biomedical engineering

  • Maya Krtic AR'17 delivered the student commencement address.

  • President Sparks and Trustee Robert Tan presented the presidential citation awarded to Professor Diane Lewis, who passed away earlier this month. The architect Merrill Elam accepted on Professor Lewis' behalf

  • After being awarded a presidential citation, illustrator Bruce Degen entertained with his memories of applying to Cooper in the 1960s

  • Rachel Warren, chair of the Board of Trustees, awarded an honorary degree to Sacha Pfeiffer

  • Sacha Pfeiffer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, addressed the Class of 2017

  • Vita Wang received her degree in architecture from Trustee Robert Tan

  • Jairo Sosa A'17

  • Luke Kreul AR'17, Calvin Liu ME'17, and Emily Adamo A'17 presented the class gift to the library

  • Anthony Ziad al-Assala, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, received his diploma with baby in tow.

  • Hui Rong Liu AR'17

  • Jessie Wu ME'17 accepts a maternal hug for a job well done

Commencement 2017 took place on May 23, with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sacha Pfeiffer delivering the commencement address. The ceremony included talks by President Laura Sparks and student speaker Maya Krtic. In addition to student prize winners, three alumni were awarded presidential citations. This year's gallery includes action both inside and out of the Great Hall as parents and friends helped the Class of 2017 get ready for the transition from student to graduate.

You can watch the ceremony here.

Photographs by João Enxuto

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.