Rafael Concepción

Administrative Manager

Rafael Concepción is the Administrative Manager for Humanities and Social Sciences. Prior to joining Cooper Union, he held positions at the International Center of Photography in both the Continuing Education and Full-Time Programs departments. Most recently, he served as One-Year Certificate Program and Admissions Manager, where he was responsible for organizing recruitment efforts, collecting tuition, overseeing the student experience outside of the classroom, and managing the OYC administrative team.

Rafael earned his M.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of Connecticut and his B.F.A. in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He was born and raised in Connecticut and lives in Brooklyn, New York. 

  • 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.