Nader Tehrani Named Cooper Union Dean

In addition to his role as principal at NADAAA, "a platform for design investigation at a large scale and with a great geographic reach," Tehrani served as head of MIT's Department of Architecture (2010-2014).

On his announcement as Dean of Architecture at The Cooper Union, made today, Richard S. Lincer, chairman of the school's board of trustees said, "Not only is [Nader Tehrani] a highly respected designer whose work has been widely published and exhibited, but he is an academic leader who intermingles pedagogy and practice in a way The Cooper Union community can recognize and appreciate."

Longtime professor Diana Agrest, who chaired the search committee, said, "Nader Tehrani is in tune with the traditions of the Irwin S. Chanin School in terms of our emphasis on exploration and the processes that are at the core of the creation and production of architectural form. He brings fresh perspectives on architectural discourse that will open new avenues in our teaching and will help create new energy in the school."

Tehrani said in a statement from The Cooper Union, "With its historic legacy, distinguished faculty and the exceptional spirit of the students, the School of Architecture offers an ideal environment within which to speculate, experiment and engage in the critical architectural debates of our time. ... Now is also a time to expand our conversations with the schools of Art and Engineering, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, to catalyze the broadening of architectural discourse within the institution as a whole."

The appointment comes at a difficult time for the school, which started charging tuition last year to the chagrin of many architects (and students) who attended the long-tuition-free school. More recently and in related news, Cooper Union President Jamshed Bharucha, along with five board members that included architect Daniel Libeskind, resigned last month over "alleged financial mismanagement leading to the 2014 implementation of tuition at the historically free institution," according to Blouin Art Info.