1-9-2013 A Message from The Cooper Union Alumni Association

January 9, 2013 

A MESSAGE FROM THE COOPER UNION ALUMNI COUNCIL

A special meeting of the Alumni Council was called into session on December 11, 2012. In accordance with the Alumni Association Constitution, the meeting was called by a request of five council members in writing to the Council. Motion by councilmember Kelly Smolar ME’07, MME’11 was supported by the following concurring members: Xenia Diente A’99, Peter Ross A’78, Darrell Low EE’89, Mary Lynch ChE ’82. The Council met on December 11, 2012, twenty-seven (27) members were in attendance for the meeting.

The agenda of the meeting was to focus on improved communications from the Alumni Council to alumni, the recent incorrect subject line used to distribute a personal email of the President of the Association to the alumni, the subsequent clarification message, and to formulate a communication strategy going forward for the Council.

Peter Cafiero CE’83, President of the Alumni Association and Mary Lynch ChE’82, Chairwoman of the Communications Committee, co-chaired the meeting. With a quorum present, Kelly Smolar ME’07, MME’11 made opening remarks.

At the meeting, councilmember Peter Ross A’78 made the following motion, Julian LaVerdiere A’97 seconded it, and the Council deliberated on the wording of the motion. With a quorum present, the motion passed unanimously.

The CUAA Council requests that the Cooper Union Board of Trustees conduct a series of public forums in the Great Hall, to engage the Cooper Community on the critical issues confronting us today. The first forum should be held before the next board meeting.

A second motion was made by councilmember Kelly Smolar ME’07, MME’11 to release the following statement from Alumni Council to alumni. After discussion the statement was voted upon, in absentia and online via email by the Council, and passed.

Executive Committee

 
Letter from the Council, Assembled in Special Session, December 11, 2012

As a body of alumni spanning all three schools and many years, members of the council have many different opinions. However we all came together in formulating a resolution, on February 8, 2012, in support of the mission statement of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, which states:

“The College admits undergraduates solely on merit and awards full scholarships to all enrolled students. The institution provides close contact with a distinguished, creative faculty and fosters rigorous, humanistic learning that is enhanced by the process of design and augmented by the urban setting.”  https://admin.imodules.com/s/1289/images/FileLibrary/0740567a31bb4061a62c273912482114.pdf

Our objectives continue to be:

• Service to Alumni: Develop and manage a broad range of programs, events and services that foster career development among the alumni and enable alumni to maintain strong relationships with their fellow alumni and with the institution.
• Service to the School: Engage the alumni in actively supporting the mission of the school by harnessing the skills, abilities and experiences of the alumni body for the benefit of The Cooper Union.
• Financial Support of the School: Provide motivation and leadership that encourages strong financial support from alumni.
• Recognition: Recognize and promote the achievements of its alumni and the institution to students, alumni and the external community to highlight the importance of The Cooper Union.

One of our main tasks during this time of fiscal crisis is to continue to act as a voice for the alumni and a good source of information between alumni and the school.  We value your feedback; we can be contacted via alumni@cooper.edu. 

As part of the Cooper community, we are Cooper Union’s ambassadors to the outside world.  We must, therefore, dedicate ourselves to assist the institution that we love, in the glare of this heightened media attention and do what we can to raise financial support for Cooper Union. We must set an example for others by either giving or raising what we can to help Cooper uphold the mission established by its founder, Peter Cooper. 

The Cooper Union Annual Fund helps to support the college’s core needs.  The fund contributes to maintaining the learning facilities and aids in providing full-tuition scholarships for students. It is a key aspect of the school that we, as alumni, can directly influence.  All donations of any amount are welcome and critical to the school’s success.  These donations directly impact the school’s ability to attract funding from sources outside the school as we demonstrate how vital it is to support the school. As of January 8, 2013, the Annual Fund is at $1,442,000, which is on pace with last year’s performance at this time. We seek to continue to grow the fund and exceed last year’s historic fiscal year-end total of $3.1 million.

We wish you a very happy new year and hope you will join us in helping the school exceed its goals.