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Kathleen Chalfant at Commencement 2010

POSTED ON: June 29, 2010

Kathleen Chalfant

On May 25, 2010, the actor Kathleen Chalfant delivered the keynote address to the graduating class of 2010, marking the Cooper Union's 151st commencement ceremony. Kathleen Chalfant is one of theater's most celebrated living performers, and has won Obie and Drama Desk awards in recognition of her achievements.

More News from The Cooper Union

  • 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.