Cooper Union

Gail Satler

Adjunct Professor

Gail Satler is Professor of Sociology and Teaching Fellow of New College at Hofstra University. Her research focuses on the intersections between urban, architectural, sociological, and aesthetic theory. Writings include a book on Frank Lloyd Wright (1999) and a forthcoming book on recent architectural and sociological trends in Chicago for which she has received grants from the American Institute of Architects, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the Graham Foundation. Other publications explore New York City restaurants and the global economy. In addition to teaching, Satler has worked as an architectural consultant for Bertrand Goldberg Associates in Chicago, and was a Visiting Scholar and research director for a project on 14th Street, Manhattan, at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Preservation funded by SOM.

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.