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Cooper Union




  established 1859
  type Private
  endowment 282 million
  president George Campbell Jr
  students 918
  city New York
  state NY
  country USA
  campus Urban
  colors Maroon and Gold
  nickname Cooper Union
  website http://wwwcooperedu/


The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a privately funded college in Lower Manhattan of New York City . Cooper Union is located in the East Village , around Cooper Square and Astor Place (3rd Avenue & 6th~9th Streets). It is one of the few American institutions of higher learning to offer a full-tuition scholarship to all admitted students. The school offers degree programs in Architecture , Fine Arts , and Engineering .

The Cooper Union is one of the most selective colleges in the United States, with an acceptance rate of 10–12%. With nearly 70% of accepted students coming to attend, it is also one of the most desirable schools in the country.

A substantial portion of the annual budget is generated through donations from a highly successful group of alumni in both the public and the private sector. Students in the School of Engineering have become important figures not only in the science and engineering community but as leaders in corporate and government organizations. The art and architecture schools have produced some of the most renowned creative figures in recent times, most notably Herb Lubalin , Eva Hesse , John Hejduk , Chuck Hoberman , Daniel Libeskind and Milton Glaser .


FOUNDING AND EARLY HISTORY

The Cooper Union was founded in 1859 by American Industrialist Peter Cooper , who was a prolific inventor and a successful entrepreneur. A self-made millionaire, Cooper had not received formal education and he made it his lifelong mission to provide opportunity for the poor by offering "education that was as free as the air we breathe and the water we drink." The Cooper Union began with Adult Education in night classes on the subjects of applied sciences and architectural drawing, as well as day classes for women on the subjects of Photography , Telegraphy , Typewriting and Shorthand . Discrimination as to race, religion, or sex was expressly prohibited.

Early board members included Horace Greeley and William Cullen Bryant .