Records of Cooper Union Commencements, 1860-Present

Records of Cooper Union Commencements, 1860-Present

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Call Number:  

C 5CK 1860-Present Shelf P
 
Provenance:  

The nucleus of these records was generated by the office of the college president and the Office of Public Affairs. The records were transferred to the Cooper Archives in July 2011. They continue to be maintained and updated yearly.

Historical Note:   

The Cooper Union Commencement Records contain correspondence with, and the commencement speeches of, well-known individuals such as:

• Tom Wolfe (1980)
• Ed Koch, New York City mayor  (1985)
• Kurt Vonnegut (1986)
• Betty Friedan (1987)
• James Dickey (1988)
• William Stanley Merwin, poet (1989)
• Charlayne Hunter-Gault, journalist and civil rights pioneer (1990)
• Leo Lionni, children’s book author/artist (1991)
• Edward R. Tufte, data visualization expert (1992)
• Ruth Messinger, Manhattan Borough President (1993)
• Russell Hulse, Nobel laureate (1994)
• Chuck Hoberman, artist/inventor (1995)
• Milton Glaser, graphic designer (1997)
• Rudolph Giuliani, New York City mayor (1998)

 

Also included are press releases, commencement planning documents, scripts for college officials, and information on alumni to whom awards were presented at commencement.

 

Extent of Collection:

7 boxes; 2.9 linear feet.
 
Contents: 

Click tabs at top of page for box contents and description.

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Finding aid prepared by Mitsuko Brooks, February 2012 and updated by Katie Blumenkrantz, August 2020.