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Core Values

Student

Our core values are the principles that guide our internal conduct and our relationship with the external world. Living these core values creates a culture within the Albert Nerken School of Engineering that supports students, faculty, and staff in all we do.

RESPECT We treat others as they would have us treat them. We support the vigorous and open debate of ideas within a community marked by mutual respect.

INTEGRITY We value ethical behavior, integrity, and transparency in all aspects of life. We respect others; conduct ourselves ethically, honestly, and openly; honor our commitments; and fairly resolve ethical issues.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION We are committed to Peter Cooper’s radical commitment to diversity and value, living and working in a diverse community. We value, encourage, and promote all aspects of human differences, fostering a culture that embraces a broad variety of personal circumstances, experiences, perspectives, and opinions.

INTERDISCIPLINARITY We value interdisciplinary approaches and the intersection of art, architecture, humanities, and engineering. We collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to create innovative solutions to societal challenges.

TEAMWORK We embrace a developmental culture, one in which cooperation and collaboration are cornerstones. Our faculty, staff, and students are collaborative, supportive, and serve as role models and mentors for professional and personal growth.

FREE We are committed to Peter Cooper’s vision of a free center of learning.

SOCIAL IMPACT Through our engagement we instill a sense of social justice that translates into action. We inspire members of our community to apply their expertise and leadership for the benefit of society and humanity.

PARTNERSHIP We are an engaged partner with industry, academia, government, and the communities in which we live. We are an indispensable partner with New York City.

  • 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.