Campus Safety and Security

The primary responsibility of the Safety and Security Department is to ensure the safety and security of the students, faculty, staff and visitors to The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Cooper Union provides a 24 hours a day, 365 days per year security presence on campus. The Cooper Union has been fortunate in maintaining an atmosphere where serious criminal activities have not occurred. Our goal remains to encourage the integrity, honesty and responsibility of each individual student to maintain an atmosphere of harmony and mutual respect.

Every incident of behavior that seems inconsistent with our philosophy and principles of safety and security should be reported to appropriate campus authorities. The security officers in the lobby of each building should be notified immediately of any emergencies and depending on the circumstances, it may also be appropriate to call the police at 911.

Students and staff should also file an incident report by contacting any security officer. Such reports help The Cooper Union respond to breaches in security. The Director of Safety and Security maintains a daily log of such incidents. This log is available for inspection in room 111, 41 Cooper Square. Prompt reporting will assure timely warning notices on-campus and timely disclosure of crime statistics.

The Campus Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 requires colleges and universities to make available statistics concerning the prevalence of certain types of crime on campus and in the neighborhood to all current students, employees and applicants for enrollment or employment. See the 2020-21 Annual Security Report.

The Health and Safety Committee

Hala Alkasm, assistant director of international advisement 

Natalie Brooks, chief talent officer

Brian Cusack, director of campus enterprise applications

Ryan Gambino, director of residential education & housing

Grace Kendall, Title IX coordinator / director of student diversity and inclusion 

Deirdre Kennedy, administrative assistant

Mary Ann Nissen, director of human resources 

Robert Reinckens, chief technology officer

Ruben Savizky, professor / campus-wide faculty safety coordinator

Tom Tresselt, director of campus safety and security

 

  • 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.