Dear Cooper Union,

I hope your start to the fall semester has been both enjoyable and productive. There is plenty of evidence that it has been. A Trustee visiting last week noted how remarkable it was to already see so much work in progress. I concur. I am also still thinking about one of the most extraordinary Cooper Union Convocations in recent memory. On the first day of classes, hundreds of us gathered to hear from Demetrius Eudell, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and four of our extraordinary faculty members — Coco Fusco (Professor, School of Art), Victor Peterson II (Assistant Professor of Humanities), Mili Shah (Professor of Mathematics), and Michael Young (Associate Professor, School of Architecture).

We also welcomed Laura Sparks to the stage, and in one of her final acts as Cooper Union’s 13th president, she made the monumental announcement that every senior class in each of the next four years will be tuition-free, beginning with this year’s seniors. This achievement is a major boost to The Cooper Union’s momentum toward restoring full-tuition scholarships for all students, which brings us significantly closer to fully restoring Peter Cooper’s founding vision that this be a free center of learning for all.

The responses of enthusiasm and gratitude from students as well as faculty, staff, parents, and alumni have been deeply moving. Accelerating our progress toward free tuition was made possible by the generosity of a trio of alumni donors — George Reeves ME’64 and his wife and business partner Ross Wisnewski, John Manuck ChE’69 and his wife Mary, and an anonymous alumnus — who are the embodiment of Peter Cooper’s philanthropic legacy. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to take the time to share a note of thanks with these donors expressing what their support means to you.

As an engaged alumnus and as a board member, I have enjoyed the opportunity to relate to students, faculty, and staff for more than 25 years. Now that I have the privilege of spending this year on campus, I am looking forward to getting to know you and your work to a greater extent than I had before. Our institution’s rigorous instruction in the disciplines of Art, Architecture, Engineering, and the Humanities and Social Sciences, facilitated by our faculty and staff, enable our students to inspire humanity through creative expression and advance humanity by solving problems. I will be here this year to observe, and as needed support, students and faculty as you continue to refine the creative and professional skills that provide value to our society.

I will also be deeply involved in working with the community to fulfill Peter Cooper’s aspiration that this institution lead the way in overcoming division and advancing unity in the world.

“My earnest desire is to make this building and institution contribute in every way possible to unite all in one common effort to improve each and every human being, seeing that we are bound up in one common destiny and by the laws of our being are made dependent for our happiness on the continued acts of kindness we receive from each other.”

— Peter Cooper, Letter to the Trustees

To accomplish this, we will also need to grow our civic skills. The ongoing wars and conflicts are tragic because of the catastrophic loss of life they inflict and, in the case of the Middle East, the division and dissension they can sow here at home, including within our own Cooper Community. We need to ensure that we can bring awareness to our causes and influence the change we want to see without making anyone feel unwelcome or targeted. We owe this to each other as a basic courtesy, and we cannot compromise on that expectation. We will also aspire to develop the willingness and skills to engage in civil discourse about difficult topics and with those with whom we disagree.

As an institution, we will continue to fulfill our role as a facilitator of learning and dialogue, but not as an advocate for specific positions. While I may share my personal perspectives on topics in formal and informal community discussions, I will not make institutional statements regarding political or social matters.  Such statements will be limited to matters that are particular to Cooper Union.

Cooper’s deans and faculty will develop programming to support deeper understanding of prominent social matters and to encourage productive dialogue throughout the semester. Additionally, the staff will focus on creating opportunities for restorative activities and social connections. Keep your eye on CooperConnect and Cooper.edu for a growing schedule of programs, events, and all of the ways you can participate as a member of the Cooper Union community.

It has been an extraordinary start to the semester. Let us build on that momentum and sense of community together. Welcome back, Cooper Union!

Malcolm King