Position Description for the President of Cooper Union

Dear Cooper Union, 

As you know, the process to select The Cooper Union’s 14th president is underway. One of our initial steps was to create an official position description. 

The position description was developed by Spencer Stuart and the Presidential Search Committee after the Spencer Stuart executive search team gathered information from sixteen different community listening sessions where they met with almost 100 faculty, students, staff, alumni, and members of the Board. In addition, they reviewed information that they received from community members who completed an online survey, contributing their ideas about the experiences and qualifications necessary for the position. We want to extend our thanks to all who participated in this information-gathering phase of the search.  The position description can be found on our website.   

The team at Spencer Stuart is in the process of identifying the candidates who best align with the position description and who will be best suited to lead The Cooper Union forward. They will also be considering candidates who apply for the position or who are referred to them. If you have suggestions for potential candidates, feel free to share the position description with those individuals and/or refer specific names for consideration to CUPresident@SpencerStuart.com. Our goal continues to be to complete the search by the end of the Spring Semester 2025. Our thanks again for your interest and participation in this important work. We will continue to keep the community apprised as the search process progresses. If you have any questions in the meantime, you can email presidentsearchcommittee@cooper.edu. 

Jamie Levitt                                                     Lou Manzione 
Co-Chair, President Search Committee           Co-Chair, President Search Committee 
Interim Chair, Board of Trustees                      Trustee

  • 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.