The Cooper Union’s Albert Nerken School of Engineering has received a $4.97 million gift from Ira EE’76 and Joanne Chayut to support its new Computer Science (CS) program, which welcomed its first class of students at the start of the Fall 2025 semester. The Chayut’s gift—one of the largest single donations in Cooper’s history—will help sustain the program’s growth over the next 10 years, supporting faculty, student research, and the resources that make Cooper’s signature, hands-on model of learning possible.

“We are deeply grateful to Ira and Joanne for their extraordinary philanthropy that recognizes the importance of this discipline to The Cooper Union and society,” said Barry Shoop, dean of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering. “Their generosity strengthens Cooper’s position at the forefront of innovation at a time when software and computing have become essential across all engineering disciplines.”

Computer Science is the school’s first new academic department in nearly 100 years. Offering a Bachelor of Science degree, the program was designed from the ground up to embody the strengths for which Cooper is best known: project-based learning, tight-knit collaboration among students and faculty, and critical engagement with social and ethical issues. Students admitted to the program at the start of the Fall 2025 semester through Fall 2031 will be named as Ira EE’76 and Joanne Chayut Scholars in honor of the couple’s generous support.

“I have always been deeply appreciative of the education I received from The Cooper Union and its mission,” said Ira Chayut. “As a beneficiary of Cooper’s excellent education, I have been able to pursue my career. It is now time to give back. We hope our gift will help The Cooper Union educate the next generation of engineers.”

The CS department is a significant step forward in Cooper’s academic efforts to strengthen and better integrate engineering offerings, all while remaining budget-neutral as The Cooper Union continues to make progress on its Plan to Return to Full-Tuition Scholarships.

“The CS curriculum is modern, agile, rigorous, and project-based, like our other engineering majors, and will produce exceedingly capable technology leaders,” said Shoop. “It will also support our other engineering majors and provide important interdisciplinary opportunities with architecture, art, and the humanities and social sciences.”

“This is a landmark moment for the school,” said Steve McLaughlin, president of The Cooper Union. “It strengthens one of the most dynamic areas of study while deepening our mission to prepare students who bring creativity, technical expertise, and social consciousness to a world that is being rapidly transformed by data infrastructure and algorithms.”