School of Engineering Associate Dean's Welcome Letter

Hello, my name is Ruben Savizky and I am the Acting Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (I also happen to be a professor in the chemistry department!). I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Cooper Union and share some important information with you.

First of all you should already have received information about Orientation, which begins on Tuesday August 27. You can find more information about orientation here:
http://cooper.edu/students/student-affairs/new-student-info/orientation

In particular, please note that the math placement exam will be given on Thursday August 29 from 8-11 in the Rose auditorium. You are eligible to take the math placement exam if you received a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus BC exam. If you pass this exam, you may elect to “place out” of Ma111 (Calculus I) and take Ma113 (Calculus II) in the fall. You are not obligated to take the exam, nor are you obligated to enter into Ma113 in the fall – you may choose to take Ma111 if you wish. Also please note that you must take the exam (and pass it) to place out of Ma111 – you will not automatically be registered for Ma113 (although some of your schedules may currently indicate that you are taking Ma113, this is merely a “placeholder” until we know exactly who is taking Ma113).

As a first-year student your schedules will be created by the registrar’s office and me. There is no need for you to register for any classes! You can see your schedule (if you haven’t done so already) here:
https://dtss.cooper.edu/Student/Account/Login

You can find typical curricula for the various engineering majors at Cooper here:
Chemical Engineering http://cooper.edu/engineering/chemical-engineering/curriculum
Civil Engineering http://cooper.edu/engineering/civil-engineering/curriculum
Electrical Engineering http://cooper.edu/engineering/electrical-engineering/curriculum
Mechanical Engineering http://cooper.edu/engineering/mechanical-engineering/curriculum
General Engineering (BSE) http://cooper.edu/engineering/general-engineering/curriculum

Please make sure you are registered for all of the correct courses. If there is a legitimate reason for why you cannot take a course at a particular time (i.e. religious observance, medical issue, etc) I can accommodate you. Having to work certain hours at a part-time job and/or commuting issues will also be considered. Large gaps may be inevitable based on the times that certain courses are taught. Although this might seem inconvenient (especially for commuter students), please bear in mind that these times are excellent opportunities to get your coursework done, participate in a club or organization, or simply explore NYC! If there is an issue with your schedule please contact me – please make sure to include your student ID number (our database makes it hard to search for you, especially if you have a common last name and/or a last name with less than five letters). Changes will be made on an as-needed basis. The first week of the semester is our add/drop period. After the first week, you cannot make any changes to your schedule – except for withdrawing from a course. This is similar to dropping the course except that you will have a W appear on your transcript (but the class will not factor in to your GPA).

If I have not done so already, I look forward to meeting you all soon. Please enjoy the remainder of the summer and come back refreshed for a challenging and rewarding first semester at Cooper Union!

Dean Savizky

P.S. If you are receiving this message it is because you are doing the right thing and checking your Cooper Union email! This is the main way faculty, staff and administrators will communicate with you so please check your email often (but not in class!) ?

  • 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.