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The Arthur Thomson AR’64 Post-Graduation Fellowship

Art Thomson AR’64 has been a steadfast supporter of The Cooper Union for over four decades. In recent years, his focus has shifted towards enhancing student experiences within The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture. Since last year, Mr. Thomson has profoundly impacted students’ trajectories by providing them with the resources to pursue opportunities that otherwise would not have been accessible to them during their academic careers at Cooper.
 
The Arthur Thomson AR’64 Post-Graduation Fellowship was established in 2023 and aims to support young architects who are dedicated to applying their knowledge and skills to advocate for social justice and equity locally in meaningful ways. Successful proposals must outline a framework for conducting this work, which may involve collaborating with or volunteering with non-profits focused on socially impactful work, utilizing architectural skills to benefit society or a specific community, or engaging in advocacy with a public-facing component.
 
The Arthur Thomson AR’64 Post-Graduation Fellowship is an award of $20,000 intended to support a proposal from a 5th-year architecture student for impactful endeavors post-graduation. The inaugural fellowship will be awarded at Commencement. The fellowship award may cover project-related expenses or living costs while pursuing the proposal’s objectives. Applicants must be full-time Bachelor of Architecture degree students in good academic standing and enrolled in the Thesis studio at the time of application. 


FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS

2025—Sofia Mercado
2024—Alice (Yuan) Meng

  • 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.