Commonly known simply as Cooper Union, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art was founded as a privately funded college in 1859 in the East Village locality of Manhattan. Peter Cooper, the self-taught engineer, inventor, and philanthropist established the college with its mission to provide education “as free as water and air” and has, to the present day, awarded scholarships to merited students regardless of sex, religion, race, or social status. Peter Cooper’s achievement in establishing the Union inspired other philanthropists such as Carnegie and Cornell to found other institutions dedicated to social advancement. Dr Jamshed Bharucha will become the twelfth president of the college on July 1, 2011, succeeding the present incumbent, George Campbell Jr.

To herald Dr Bharucha’s appointment, generating energy and excitement for his welcome, Cooper Union asked Reef Light Interactive to create a micro-site dedicated to the president-elect. The site details his academic and professional background by way of introduction.

In designing the site we used the Cooper Union logo as a reference, echoing its geometric shapes and other elements to build the look, and, acknowledging the Cooper Union extensive fan base, we also created a Facebook page to provide a broad communication channel for the new president.