Shirley Glaser A'56

Shirley Glaser passed away on June 29, 2026. In addition to The Cooper Union, she studied at Fordham and Columbia Universities. Shirley enjoyed a varied career in the arts as a graphic designer, photographer, and writer. For over 60 years, she was married to Milton Glaser A'51, who often relied on her artistic expertise to judge his studio's work. The couple even co-founded the Milton and Shirley Glaser Foundation in 1994 to support the arts. Read more about Shirley's life here.

  • 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.