Cooper Union has settled its court case with the Committee to Save Cooper Union and the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York, the school announced late yesterday, signaling a resolution to increase transparency and involvement in the school’s governance.  “Under the agreement, which must be approved by the court, The Cooper Union will increase transparency and participation by broadening the involvement of its students, alumni, faculty and staff in the school’s governance,” the school said in a statement. (more…)

Protestors with Signs at the Free Cooper Union rally, via Art Observed

Earlier this afternoon, students, professors, politicians and more gathered to protest Cooper Union‘s decision to institute tuition for the upcoming school year. The alma mater of artists such as George Segal, Alex Katz, and Eva Hesse, Cooper Union has traditionally been a tuition-free school, offering opportunities to study art, architecture, and engineering to those who might not be able to afford other programs of equal quality. When Cooper Union announced in 2013 that it would begin to charge tuition in the fall of 2014, the backlash was immediate as students organized sit-ins, occupations, and, earlier this year, a lawsuit filed against the school’s Board of Trustees by the Committee to Save Cooper Union (CSCU). The Bruce High Quality Foundation, an arts collective founded with members primarily drawn from Cooper Union graduates, has also been active in their support of CSCU.  (more…)

The Cooper Union Board of Trustees has issued a statement that the university will move forward with its plan to begin charging admission, with an attempt to continually provide additional scholarship funds as needed. “The actions taken by the board today and in April are intended to provide The Cooper Union with a financial model that will sustain it into the future, while ensuring both the quality of the academic program and the institution’s ability to enroll students entirely on the basis of their aptitude and achievement and to meet their full financial need,” the school said in a statement. (more…)

In the wake of Cooper Union’s contentious decision to begin charging admission, The New York Times has published an in-depth study of the school’s finances, particularly its ownership of the land under the Chrysler Building.  While the land earns a rent of $9 Million a year, it would be difficult to sell in an emergency, yet comprises 84% of the school’s assets.  Combined with the debts accrued for the construction of the school’s new campus building, the article paints a bleak picture of the storied institution’s finances.  “There was never any sense of giving back. Cooper never asked. We always thought Cooper didn’t need the money because it had the Chrysler Building. Forty years ago, I would have stressed to students that someone had to make it possible for you to come here for free.”  Says trustee Thomas Driscoll. (more…)

Art F City is reporting on the fallout from the announcement of Cooper Union’s announced decision to begin charging tuition for its students. Following a tense Q and A yesterday afternoon between students and trustees, a walk-out and large-scale protest ensued, which culminated in staff sealing off school windows to prevent the hanging of banners and and protest signs.  During the meeting, trustees avoided questions about potential future tuition hikes, calling Cooper Union’s public accessibility into further question.  “You could all donate to the school.”  Chairman Mark Epstein said in response to a question about curbing inflation. (more…)

Cooper Union, via Architecture Paper

After almost two years of debate and discussions, The Cooper Union announced yesterday that it will begin charging tuition on a “steeply sliding scale” for undergraduate students.  The tuition will range from $20,000 a year to nothing for those with “the greatest needs.”

A past protest at Cooper Union, via NBC

“The time has come to set our institution on a path that will enable it to survive and thrive well into the future,” said Cooper board chairman, Mark Epstein. “Under the new policy, the Cooper Union will continue to adhere to the vision of Peter Cooper, who founded the institution specifically to provide a quality education to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.”

Students Circle the Cooper Union for a Symbolic Embrace, via New York Times

While the institution has strived to find an alternative to charging tuition, its sizable debts and interest on property and loans has caused major deficits in its endowment.  The vote for tuition is an attempt to defray those costs.

Class at Cooper Union, via New York Times

While the tuition still places the school’s cost of attendance well below that of other private art schools, such as the Rhode Island School of Design or Pratt Institute, some fear that the increased price will still encourage inequality among students.  “It’s a real tragedy,” said professor Peter Buckley. “It reflects the condition of higher education as a whole. Costs are out of control.”

Read more:
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal

The New York Times reviews The Cooper Union‘s current struggle to find solutions to their financial deficits.  While the famed art-educational institution has not charged tuition for over one hundred years, current budgetary issues have forced the school to re-evaluate its position.  Now, as a decision on charging undergraduate tuition nears, faculty, students and alumni are immersed in a fervent debate over the school’s future.  “There will be some tough decisions,” says president Jamshed Bharucha said. “There have to be. Because the model that has been in place cannot be sustained.” (more…)

The student occupiers at their press conference Monday, December 10th at noon. Photo by Phoebe Pundyk for Art Observed.

The eleven students who have been occupying the Cooper Union clock tower exited at noon yesterday from the Peter Cooper Suite. Sleeping bags in tow, the students (many of whom wore homemade t-shirts with “FREE” scrawled across them) were greeted with cheers. Although none of their original demands were met by the administration, the group felt it was time to end the lock-in: that they had made their point and that their work would be better carried on from the ground. They were accompanied by their dean, who handed each student a single red rose. This is just the beginning of a long road to resolution.

Signs accumulated at the gate in Cooper Square directly below the windows of the lock-in. Photo by Jennifer Lindblad for Art Observed.

Read more…

(more…)

Inside the occupation of the tower.  All images courtesy the Students for a Free Cooper Union, unless otherwise noted.

Earlier this week, Art Observed reported that students at Cooper Union, the country’s only traditionally tuition-free art school, have barricaded themselves into the top floor of their school in an act of protest against the school’s recent economic scandal. Last year, after years of hiding its financial situation, the school’s administration revealed that they are in a $17 million debt that could leave students paying tuition as soon as 2018.

Although there has been minimal response thusfar from the school’s administration regarding the students’ actions, support has steadily grown, especially from faculty members. The media response to the students’ actions has been far-reaching, from early coverage by Art in America to mainstream media sources including MSNBC, CBS, The Wall Street Journal, and The Rachel Maddow Show.

Art Observed’s Jennifer Lindblad reached out to occupying students to hear their experiences and reflections so far.

Occupiers receive a delivery by balloon at the Cooper Union Foundation Building on Tuesday, December 4th. Photo by Phoebe Pundyk for Art Observed.

Click through for more images, text, and exclusive interview…

(more…)

Cooper Union students have barricaded themselves inside the school in protest of possible plans by the school to start charging tuition. “We’ve got plenty of food, we’re not planning on leaving until these demands are met,” she said. “Until we’re forcibly removed, we are not leaving” said Kristi Cavataro, a junior. The school is trying to maintain financial stability and a high caliber academic program. (more…)

‪‬Cooper Union, off Astor Place in New York, free of tuition for over 100 years, to charge tuition for graduate programs and other online and continuing-education courses to reduce current $16.5 million annual budget deficit, “It’s a viable strategy,” says President Jamshed Bharucha

(more…)

‪‬Cooper Union President Bharucha discusses possibility of charging tuition again after over a century, “We have to do the hard thinking now,” while alumni claim it to be a contradiction to the “DNA of the school” [AO Newslink]

(more…)