Cooper union

DEFINITION

A privately funded institution in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City, it was founded in 1859 as "a radical new model of American higher education." In 2009, the enrollment was 918 students, and the endowment was $598.2 million. The mission reflects the belief of its founder, Peter Cooper, that education should be 'free as air and water' and available with no racial or religious discrimination to all persons. However, admission is selective because it is based for architecture and engineering students on SAT scores, and for artist applicants, on a 'home-test' spanning a four-week period and involving responses to visual pieces and a portfolio submission. Unique is that the school offers full-tuition scholarships to every admitted student. Funding grew from Cooper's fortune as a glue factory and railroad industrialist and inventor including America's first steam engine. Admission Degrees are offered in Architecture, Fine Art, and Engineering. Among artist enrollees are Eva Hesse, Howard Christy, Donald Beachler, Conrad Marca-Relli, Ralph Blakelock, Catherine Critcher, Maria Dewing, Lon Megargee, Lee Krasner, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_Union; AskART database