Dear Cooper Community:
 
As we wrap up final reviews, I am consistently amazed and inspired by the remarkable work of students and faculty, who have managed to pull off incredible feats in the face of significant challenges this semester. Reflecting on the past few months, it is evident that we have navigated a period marked by profound grief and loss, both within our immediate community and beyond.
 
On our home front, we mourn the passing of two esteemed faculty members. The loss of Professor and Dean Anthony Vidler, a dear colleague, mentor, and cherished friend, has left a void that resonates throughout our community. His youthful vigor, energy, and optimism are deeply missed every day. Additionally, Professor Tony Candido, who retired from teaching in 2014, left an indelible impact on generations of students and faculty through his significant contributions to the fields of art and architecture, exemplifying immeasurable wisdom and guidance.
 
The sorrow within our community has been intensified by the initial and ongoing escalation of violence, resulting in significant suffering and devastating loss east and west of the Gaza border. I recognize the profound grief and pain experienced by many within the School, a sentiment I personally share. The ensuing emotions of sadness, anger, anguish, and fear have reverberated globally. We have also seen a distressing surge in Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian animus. All of these challenges have tested the fabric of our close-knit community, with the impact felt in our studios and across our campus.
 
In these critical times, geopolitically and within our academic institution, we find ourselves grappling with complex questions surrounding free speech, sloganeering, and misinformation, particularly in the digital age. It is imperative that we foster open expression, meaningful dialogue, and academic freedom while upholding our rights, acknowledging differences, and preserving the dignity of others. As we continue to navigate these discussions in our programming next semester, we must confirm our commitment to creating a culture of belonging and inclusion while supporting those whose legitimate protest speech and advocacy contribute to our educational environment, deepening our insight and advancing our learning. At Cooper, as in all academic spaces, there should be no tolerance for hateful or racist speech, and actions such as doxxing and smear campaigns are unequivocally intolerable.
 
Despite the challenges, one of the highlights from this past semester was our community dinner, where we took time to come together and break bread, finding solace in one another’s company. Clearly, the strength of our Cooper community, particularly within the School of Architecture, stands as one of our greatest assets. It is crucial that we draw upon our strong sense of unity to extend empathy and support to those facing challenges and enhance our collective understanding.
 
Our public programs remain integral to cultivating a lively intellectual culture within the school, and this semester we had the privilege of celebrating the achievements of our esteemed faculty. In the Houghton Gallery we presented Sue Ferguson Gussow: Retrospective, showcasing eighty-six works by Sue Gussow, a figurative painter and valued faculty member since 1970. This extensive exhibition, spanning from 1955, when Gussow was a Cooper art student, to pieces completed in 2023, offered a personal and compelling overview of her artistic journey, curated by Steven Hillyer. As the exhibition concluded, we celebrated the updated reprint of Architects Draw, a publication chronicling Gussow's unique pedagogy of freehand drawing developed over decades at The Cooper Union. This pedagogy has profoundly influenced aspiring architects, encouraging them to explore the possibilities of architecture through drawing.
 
Lectures and events during the fall semester presented a robust and diverse body of programming, including numerous book talks. The Student Lecture Series featured The Making of an Avant-Garde: The Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies 1967–1984, a film written, produced, and directed by Diana Agrest, a dedicated long-time faculty member. The documentary delves into the Institute's influential origins and lasting impact as an avant-garde hub, using Agrest's extensive archival footage to capture the essence of the period. 
 
In the Third Floor Hallway Gallery we presented three outstanding exhibitions this semester. First, The Turned Room showcased Michael Young's captivating photogrammetry experiments conducted during his time at The American Academy in Rome. The second exhibition, First Edition: ARCH 205.22 In Process, displayed representational projects focusing on printmaking as a method for constructing architectural images. This work was produced in a course taught by Owen Nichols and Clara Syme of a83 Gallery. Lastly, Exhibitions Collection: 1971-1999 spotlighted original and reproduced records documenting the school’s exhibition program, drawn by Chris Dierks from The Architecture Archive's Exhibitions Collection. This material illuminated three decades of work, beginning with Education of an Architect: A Point of View—a pivotal exhibition and publication of student projects shown at MoMA in 1971–72. The hallway show reminded us that our exhibition program has consistently bridged pedagogy and public service, enriching both The Cooper Union’s curriculum and the broader arts and design communities of New York City and beyond. We anticipate launching the Exhibitions Collection database, managed by archivist Caitlin Biggers, in 2024.
 
Looking forward to the second half of this academic year, we are thrilled to engage in new collaborations this spring. These include an exhibition partnership with The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum for their upcoming 2024 Architecture Triennale centered around the theme of Home, a fabrication project in collaboration with Shigeru Ban Architects for their Paper Log House, and a symposium with Storefront for Art and Architecture extending from a collaborative seminar. We are also forming a partnership with the New York City Housing Authority, an organization committed to addressing the city’s escalating affordable housing crisis. I look forward to sharing more details about these initiatives with you in the coming year.
 
As we embark on the winter break, I extend my gratitude to each and every one of you for your dedication, resilience, and commitment. Let us collectively hope for peace, and may this period of respite provide you with the rest and rejuvenation needed to embrace the new year, prepared for fresh challenges and opportunities. Wishing you all a peaceful and joy-filled holiday season.
 
Hayley