Pros
While many of the reviews mistakenly equate 'perks and benefits' with a good organizational culture, it's important to remember that a truly positive and empowering workplace goes much deeper than surface-level benefits.
Cons
Yes, perks and benefits such as comprehensive health insurance, 10% contributions toward retirement and summer Fridays are certainly attractive. These play a role in creating an appealing environment for a select few, and contributing to employee satisfaction for some. However, they're only one aspect of what defines Cooper Union's work culture. Allow me to give you a full picture of the reality of working at Cooper Union: A good culture is built on foundational elements such as shared values, open communication, a clear vision, mutual respect, psychological safety, opportunities for growth, and recognition of employee contributions. Cooper Union has failed abysmally in all of the above points and continues to fall short in this regard. Top heavy management (recent hire of a VPAA which is nothing more than a pseudo Provost) led by an absentee landlord of a President who sits in her ivory tower of an office and only shows her face at events, but never bothers to walk around, conduct town halls, or make good faith efforts to solicit feedback from employees on current working conditions and low morale. It's about how the organization treats its employees, how they interact with one another, how they handle conflicts, how they celebrate success and learn from failures. Cooper Union does not lead by example in fostering and reinforcing a culture of mutual respect, care and consideration for its employees. Employees are fed up and burnt out. There is no culture of respect considering the disrespectful interactions that have been witnessed in person and via e-mail. Workplace bullying reigns supreme. A strong, positive culture exists when employees feel valued, heard, and inspired to perform their best, where there's a sense of community and common purpose. Cooper Union does not have a strong and positive work culture. Most employees suffer in silence (the ones that care about the work and are grossly underpaid and undervalued) while the incompetent slackers just report for duty to collect that bi-weekly paycheck. So, while perks and benefits can make a job more comfortable, they should not be confused with culture. It's essential to look beyond these Glassdoor reviews when assessing the true nature of the organization’s culture. Drop a line to current employees to get a complete picture of what life is really like working at The Cooper Union.