Welcome Back Message from President McLaughlin

Dear Cooper Community, 

I hope the New Year has begun well for you, with time to rest and enjoy time off while anticipating the possibility and potential that a new semester brings. It’s amazing to me that I am already beginning the second half of my inaugural year as president of The Cooper Union. Getting to know you and seeing your work and aspirations up close has been an incredible experience. Throughout these first six months, you have reminded me of the massive responsibility we have together to steward and foster what makes this community and institution so special. 

As we begin the semester, I want to return briefly to the information I shared two weeks ago regarding the settlement that resolves the case Gartenberg et al. v. The Cooper Union. Understandably, there has been discussion about what the settlement is and is not, and we will engage in more of that discussion now that we are back on campus together. As context for that dialogue, I want to emphasize that we reached this agreement intentionally to bring the litigation to a close and with a renewed commitment to being a community where all feel welcome, safe, and included; where there is zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment; and where our longstanding commitment to academic freedom, free inquiry, rigorous debate, and open discussion remains unchanged and protected. 

To align with the settlement agreement and with New York State law and federal civil-rights requirements for all colleges and universities, we will evolve applicable policies. These new or updated policies will take effect on or around August 1, 2026 in advance of the fall semester and will be developed over the coming months, with input from faculty, staff, students, and trustees. 

Please know that if you have questions, concerns, or ideas about this work, I invite you to contact me directly. Feel free to stop by my office, catch me in the hallway, sign up for Office Hours, or invite me to a meeting. I welcome the conversation. 

I am also eager to experience with you all that this semester holds for us in the months ahead: 

  • The 30th annual Benjamin Menschel Fellowship Exhibition will open in February, highlighting innovative, interdisciplinary work by our 2025 Menschel Fellows.
  • Welcoming all new first-time faculty, both adjunct and full-time to the community.
  • The annual gathering in Cooper Triangle in February for the annual Founder’s Day Wreath Laying ceremony honoring Peter Cooper.
  • Our alumni’s return to campus in March for the 2026 CUAA Founder’s Day Awards.
  • The completion of the Houghton Gallery renovation this spring, which will elevate our exhibitions gallery for new and exciting programming.
  • Michael Young’s move into his role as dean of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture in April, and seeing the search through for the next dean of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering.
  • Great Hall public programs and community gatherings that are taking shape now, with more information and program schedules to be announced soon.
  • Student shows and exhibitions, including Cooper’s iconic End of Year Show.
  • The preparations of our seniors as they head toward Commencement. 

Yesterday, the nation observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. When Dr. King was a student at Morehouse College, he published an essay entitled The Purpose of Education. In it, he wrote, "Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education." His call that we use intelligence and critical thinking not just for our own good, but for societal good, too, is as essential today as it was for him when he wrote it in 1947 … and for Peter Cooper when at the founding of this institution nearly 90 years earlier, he advocated for the same. 

So as we come back this week, I ask that we commit ourselves to those principles and to going about our work grounded in kindness, care for one another, and mutual respect. These values are not peripheral to our mission—they are essential to meaningful learning, creative risk-taking, and the free exchange of ideas. 

With best wishes for the semester ahead, 

Steve McLaughlin 
President, The Cooper Union

  • 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.