And so it’s announced, the establishment of a contingent fund to save Cooper Union.
If you’re new to this, I went to Cooper Union many years ago and teach there now. It’s unique — there’s nowhere else like it — for many reasons. The one that has defined it for well over a century is that it is tuition free. There’s no other opportunity in the United States for someone to get a free undergraduate education, to pursue it with their whole heart, without having to weigh its value against sacrifices or future debt.
The school is now in significant danger of coming to a close. It is running a ferocious deficit, over half of which is just servicing the interest on debt that was incurred without any supervision of the Board of Trustees. One suggestion that’s in play is to just start charging tuition.
And so this is about money we are pledging to keep Cooper Union alive without tuition. It’s not about keeping the Cooper Union buildings standing with the name on the door: it’s about keeping the idea alive. The idea is of one place in the United States that is a meritocracy, a place in which talent and hard work can triumph, independent of any other considerations.
There are those who want to say that the only way to keep Cooper going is to charge tuition. I suggest it’s like keeping America alive without democracy. It’s not a feature. It’s the fucking idea.
I have pledged $10,000 to the fund, which will be released if Cooper Union will take the premise of tuition off the table. I encourage you to go to the site and pledge whatever you can, even if it’s just a dollar.
Cooper Union ended up here not because the market tanked — the institution weathered over 22 recessions and the Great Depression. It ended up in existential jeopardy because no one watched the watchmen and there was never an alternative. This is the alternative, and it needs your support, however you can provide it.
“With the start of the 2011-12 Academic year, Cooper Union’s new President Jamshed Bharucha announced that in the shadow of unmanageable deficits, the Cooper Union must place “tuition on the table,” and consider charging Cooper Union students to attend the school. For the past century Cooper Union has existed as a meritocracy: awarding a full scholarship to all students. Turning Cooper Union into a tuition based school is a profound departure from the established principles of the school and would completely alter the character of the institution.”
Signal boost.
Well damn. I did a high school summer program there. And while I didn’t apply (my high school had an insane college application limit of I think 6) I know people who went there and it’s awesome that they could get go to such a great place for free.
