Preet Bharara Inspires Crowd at Great Hall

In his first public appearance after being fired by President Donald Trump, Preet Bharara, former United States Attorney for the Southern District, delivered the John Jay Iselin lecture to a capacity crowd at the Great Hall on April 6. Mr. Bharara spoke of the many high-profile cases he and his team took on over the course of his 7-1/2 years as U. S. attorney. In addition, he talked about the important contributions of immigrants in the United States, discussing the journey of his parents, Jagadish and Desh Bharara, who were present that evening. 

  • 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.