CLASS NOTES

Orly Cogan A'96

Artwork by Orly Cogan A'96 is currently featured in an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in the Upper East Side and will be shown from September 10-October 24 at the Robert Mann Gallery in Chelsea under the title, Orly Cogan: Behind the Lens & Through the Needle.

Dave Palumbo CE'89

Dave Palumbo CE’89 has been promoted to Associate Vice President of Dewberry, a professional services firm based in Bloomfield, New Jersey. His 35-year career spans infrastructure design and project management in many types of engineering including site/civil, structural, and environmental.

Alana Fitzgerald A'09

Alana Fitzgerald A'09 received her MFA from the Hite Institute of Art and Design at the University of Louisville, Kentucky in May 2026.

Steven Forman AR'77

Steven Forman AR'77 is retiring from Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) as Principal and Director of Operations. Forman met Liz Diller at The Cooper Union over fifty years ago and retained a bond with her, Charles Renfro, Ben Gilmartin, and the late Ric Scofidio. At DS+R, Forman contributed to the project management of the High Line, The Shed, The Museum of Modern Renovation + Expansion, and many more.

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  • 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.