The Office of Institutional Research

Welcome to Institutional Research! 

The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) conducts research to support institutional planning and decision-making at Cooper Union. This includes supporting faculty and staff with data quality assurance, conducting specialized studies, and acting as the institution’s mandated reporter for State and Federal compliance. The office operates under the guiding principles outlined in the Association for Institutional Research’s Code of Ethics.  

Research & Reports 
    • College Data: Annual reports on enrollment, demographics, financial information, and student outcomes. 
    • Survey Research: Administering annual surveys regarding new and graduating students. 
    • External Reporting: Annual reports from the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS), and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). 

Vision 
The Office of Institutional Research strives to advance institutional excellence by providing data and insights that inform strategic planning, decision-making, and promote organizational learning. 
 
Mission 
The OIR serves all segments of the college community, including faculty, staff, administrators, and students. We are committed to supporting the college's educational mission through the collection, maintenance, analysis, and interpretation of data, while prioritizing the disaggregation of information to address inequalities in student outcomes. Our work emphasizes evidence-based insights to foster institutional improvement and student success. 

Contact Us:
Michael Carhart
Director of Institutional Research
212.353.4260 | michael.carhart@cooper.edu

  • 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.