Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Motto	Be true to your work, and your work will be true to you.
Type	Private
Established	1887
Endowment	$73.5 million
Chairman	Bruce Gitlin
President	Thomas F. Schutte
Provost	Peter Barna
Academic staff	899
Undergraduates	3,070
Postgraduates	1,607
Location	Brooklyn , NY , USA
Campus	Urban 25 acres (10 hectares)
Colors	Black and cadmium yellow
Mascot	The Cannoneer
Website	www.pratt.edu

Pratt Institute is a private, nonsectarian, nonprofit, institution of higher learning located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York with a satellite campus located at 14th Street in Manhattan. It originated in 1887 with programs primarily in engineering, architecture, and fine arts. Comprising of five schools, the Institute offers both undergraduate and Master's degree programs in a variety of fields. Today, the Institute is primarily known for its topped ranking programs in architecture, interior design, and industrial design.

U.S. News and World Report lists Pratt as one of the top 20 colleges in the Regional Universities North category.

History

Inception

Charles Pratt, founder of Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute was founded in 1887 by American industrialist Charles Pratt, who was a successful businessman and oil tycoon and is one of the wealthiest men in the history of Brooklyn. Pratt was an early pioneer of the natural oil industry in the United States and was the founder of Astral Oil Works based in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York which was a leader in replacing whale oil with petroleum or natural oil. In 1867 Pratt established Charles Pratt and Company. In 1874 Pratt’s companies were purchased by John D. Rockefeller and became part of his Standard Oil trust while Pratt continued to run the companies himself.

Regardless of his immense wealth, Pratt wanted to give others the opportunity to improve their own lives. He constantly built a number of public projects, such as apartment complexes (including the Astral Apartments) and banks for those who could not afford them. However, Pratt, an advocate of education, really wanted to provide the opportunity for working men and women to better their lives through education. Even though Pratt never had the opportunity to go to college himself, he wanted to create an affordable college accessible to the working class. In 1884 Pratt began purchasing parcels of land in his home town for the intention of opening a school.

From his fortunes with Astral Oil and Charles Pratt and Company, in 1886 he endowed and founded Pratt Institute. On October 17, 1887 the Institute opened to 12 students in Main Hall. Tuition was $4 per class per term (equivalent to $95 today). One of the more remarkable aspects of the college was the fact that it was one of the first colleges in the country open to all people, regardless of class, color, and gender. In the early years, the Institute’s mission was to offer education to those who never had it offered to them before. Pratt sought to teach people skills that would allow them to be successful and work their way up the economic ladder. Specifically, many programs were tailored for the growing need to train industrial workers in the changing economy with training in design and engineering. Early programs sought to teach students a variety of subjects such as architectural engineering, mechanics, dressmaking, and furniture making. Graduates of the school were taught to become engineers, mechanics, and technicians. Drawing, weather freehand, mechanical, or architectural, thought of as being a universal language, united such diverse programs and thus all programs in the school had a strong foundation in drawing. In addition, the curriculum at the Institute was to be complimented by with a large Liberal Arts curriculum. Students studied subjects such as history, mathematics, physics, and literature in order to better understand the world which they will be working in. Such a strong foundation in Liberal Arts continues at the school today).

Early days

File:Prattold.jpg

Main Hall

Enrollment grew steadily since inception. Six months after inception the school had an enrollment of nearly 600 students. By the first anniversary of the school there were 1,000 students in attendance. In five years time the school had nearly 4,000 students. In 1888 Scientific American said of the school that “it is undoubtedly the most important enterprise of its kind in this country, if not in the world”. Andrew Carnegie even visited Pratt for inspiration and used the school as a model in developing Carnegie Technical Schools, now Carnegie Mellon University. At the first Founders Day celebration in 1888, Charles Pratt addressed what would become the school’s motto: “be true to your work and your work will be true to you” meaning that students should educate and develop themselves diligently and go out into the world working hard, giving all of themselves.

In 1891, the Institute’s founder and first president, Charles Pratt, passed away and his eldest son, Charles Millard Pratt assumed responsibility of president for the school. In 1893, Charles Pratt’s other son, Frederic B. Pratt was elected President of Pratt Institute taking over from his elder brother. Because Charles Pratt Snr. died so soon after the college was founded, Frederic Pratt is ascribed with guiding the college through its early decades. Under the direction of Pratt’s sons, the Institute was able to thrive both financially and critically with many new construction projects and course offerings. By 1892 the number of students enrolled was 3,900. In 1897 the most popular major for students was domestic arts.

In 1896, the school opened its monumental Victorian-Rennaissance Revival library with elegant interiors designed by Tiffany & Co. and sprawling gardens outside the library. The library was designed not only for students but rather for the public as well. The Pratt Institute Library was the first and only public library in Brooklyn for nearly 15 years. In addition, the library served as a working laboratory, training future librarians and is cited as being one of the first library schools. In addition, the Pratt Institute Library opened the first reading room dedicated to children in all of New York City.

Formation of individual schools

By the turn of the century, The School of Science and Technology had become Pratt's most prestigious school and made up most of the enrollment by the school. Across from East Building on Grand Avenue, the Institute constructed a new quad dedicated specifically for the engineering school. Constructed over a period of a quarter of a century, the Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering buildings were constructed in the same architecture style, unifying all disciplines offered by the School. Pratt also had a large variety of courses dedicated specifically for women during this time. Some of the 25 courses women could partake in included library science, nursing, home economics, and fashion.

By 1910, all of the departments of the Institute were organized as individual schools including the Library School, School of Domestic Science, School of Fine and Applied Arts, and the School of Science and Technology.

Degree-granting status and enrollment increase

As World War I faced the nation in 1914, Pratt partnered with the United States Government to aid in the war effort. The School of Science and Technology had its own Student Army Training Corps which taught enlistees engineering skills needed for the war. Students designed aircraft used in the war and trained operators. In 1927, mechanical engineering alumni Donald A. Hall designed the Spirit of Saint Louis, used by Charles Lindburg in the worlds first transatlantic flight.

By the 1938 most programs at the school began offering four-year Bachelors of Science degrees and Pratt transformed itself from being a technical school to a proper college . By granting Bachelors degrees, Pratt had to revise its curriculum from being a two year school to now being a four year college. The changes also reflected New York State requirements for granting degrees and stricter government and professional licensing regulations for graduates. During this decade, the foundation program for all Art School students was also founded. In 1940 Pratt began granting graduate degrees.

During World War II Pratt also helped in the war effort as it did during WWI with the engineering school training servicemen before they were deployed. Students helped to design camouflage for soldiers, buildings, and weapons. Following the war, the school saw a large influx of veterans enrolling as part of the GI Bill.

In the 1940s the School of Science and Technology changed its name to the School of Engineering and in 1946 established its own honor society with mechanical engineering being the most popular major at all of Pratt. In 1953, Francis H. Horn became the first President of Pratt who was not a member of the Pratt family. Enrollment continue to climb throughout the decade and in 1948 the Institute reached an all time high in attendance with 6,000 students. In 1954 the architecture department split from the Engineering School to become its own school.

Campus reorganization

DeKalb Avenue Gate of Enclosed Campus

As part of white flight in the 1950s and 1960s which affected the majority of New York City the neighborhood of Clinton Hill began to see a transformation from an upper-class, affluent, white community to a community home to minorities and crime. During this time, Pratt considered moving its campus to more affluent Long Island or Manhattan and increase its attractiveness but decided to stay at its original Brooklyn campus due to the history and Charles Pratt's original mission.

As part of Robert Moses' plan for urban renewal in New York City, Pratt’s physical campus saw the greatest amount of change in its history. Prior to the 1950s, the school was located in separate buildings located on several public streets. However, after Moses' clearance of many of the structures located between Pratt's buildings, the land was given over to the school and a true campus was established. Reyerson Street, Grand Avenue, Steuben Street, and Emerson Place ceased to allow automobile traffic and the campus became enclosed, forming the Grand Mall to connect the Institute's buildings. The elevated train running along Grand Avenue between the East Building/Student Union and the Engineering Quad was dismantled. As a result of new real estate, the school was able to build several new structures, all design by firm McKim, Mead & White including men’s and women’s dormitories and a new student union. In addition, Moses' construction projects around the school helped to build the School of Architecture. Research funds were granted to the school to help discover new building techniques. By the 1963 the urban planning department formed the Pratt Center for Community Development in an attempt to revitalize Pratt’s surrounding neighborhood and Brooklyn.

Enrollment decline and financial issues

In the 1970s and continuing well into the 1980s New York City and Brooklyn still faced large amounts of crime and poverty and as a result enrollment fell and the school began to face a budget deficit. Prospective students and faculty felt uneasy about the safety of the campus and community. In 1974, the men's basketball team became the attention of national media as Cyndi Meserve joined the team and became the first woman in history to play men's NCAA basketball. Students earning architecture degrees exceeded those who were earning mechanical engineering degrees in 1975 and architecture degrees became the most popular degree at Pratt, a trend that still exists today. In anticipation of the Institute’s centennial anniversary in 1987, several capital improvements were made to the campus trying to restore the condition of many of the dilapidated buildings. The Grand Mall was re-landscaped with new plantings, brick pathways, and lighting and the Newman Amphitheater was built in 1988 in celebration of the hundredth anniversary. President Richardson Pratt Jr. retired in 1990 after nearly twenty years of serving as president, becoming the last president to be a descendent of founder Charles Pratt.

By 1993, Thomas F. Schutte was appointed as president and has since become the longest standing president overseeing the Institute not a part of the Pratt family. In the same year, Pratt controversially and shockingly closed its School of Engineering, an integral part of founder Charles Pratt’s long term vision for the school. Ironically the school was Pratt’s most successful school and many associated the school with its engineering program. In response to the Institute-wide decrease in enrollment and school-wide budget issues, closing the School of Engineering was thought of as being the only feasible option to keep the school’s other programs afloat and to address the budget. Students in the Engineering program were transferred to Polytechnic Institute of New York University while tenured professors were relocated to the School of Architecture and the science and math departments in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Revitalization and growth

File:Pratt Institute Higgins Hall rebuilt center section.jpg

Higgins Hall center section rebuilt by Steven Holl

As a result of closing the costly School of Engineering, the school was able to get out of debt and on the track to financial success. Funds were allocated for campus-wide beautification projects and restoration and modernization of historic buildings. Part of the beautification projects included adding the Pratt Institute Sculpture Park in 1999 where contemporary art sculptures are placed throughout the campus lawns and gardens, making it the largest contemporary sculpture park in New York City. Pratt also began a partnership with Munson-Williams-Proctor and Delaware College of Art and Design for art students to study for two years at either campus and finish their degrees at Pratt’s School of Art and Design in Brooklyn. During the 1990s the school was able to increase enrollment by twenty-five percent, from approximately 3,000 students in 1990 to 4,000 students in 2000.

Vincent A. Stabile, a 1940 graduate of the School of Engineering, donated to $13 million, the largest donation made by any alumnus in the college’s history, with the request to President Schutte that the donation be used to reopen the School of Engineering. President Schutte rejected Mr. Stabile’s request but instead allocated the funds to construct a new residence hall named in the donor’s honor. From the mid-1980s to the 2000s Pratt experienced the transition from being mainly a commuter school to become a residential school through the construction of new residence halls Cannoneer Court, Pantas Hall, and Stabile Hall.

Presidents

1. Charles Pratt (1830–1891), president from 1887–1891
2. Charles Millard Pratt (1855–1935), 1891–1893
3. Frederic B. Pratt (1865–1945), 1893–1937
4. Charles Pratt (1892–?), 1937–1953
5. Francis H. Horn, 1953–1957
6. Robert Fisher Oxnam (1915–1974), 1957–1960
7. James Britt Donovan (1916–1970), 1968–1970
8. Henry Saltzman, 1970-1972
9. Richardson Pratt Jr. (1923–2001) (grandson of Charles Millard Pratt and great-grandson of Charles Pratt), 1972–1990
10. Warren F. Ilchman (1933–), 1990–1993
11. Thomas F. Schutte (1936–), 1993–present

Campus

East Hall

Pratt Institute is an enclosed landscaped 25-acre (100,000 m²) campus in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, with historic buildings, library, and an athletic center. A residential campus, it offers several different kinds of residential options. It has two public entrances,which close in the evening hours. The main gate on Willoughby Avenue (for pedestrians and cars) is guarded by a security post 24 hours a day. The Hall Street entrance is convenient for commuters, as it is a short walk of two blocks from the Clinton-Washington Avenues subway station. Buildings on campus include the Library, Dekalb Hall, ISC Building, Main Building, North Hall, East Building, Student Union, Memorial Hall, Machinery Building, Chemistry Building, Engineering Building, Pratt Studios, Steuben Hall, and the ARC building. Off-campus buildings include the newly renovated Higgins Hall, which contains the School of Architecture and Myrtle Hall, an environmentally green building on Myrtle Avenuefor digital arts programs and student services including admissions, which opened in Fall 2010. The contemporary sculpture park on campus is open to visitors during the day.

Pratt Institute Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	Roughly bounded by Hall St., Dekalb Ave., Willoughby St. and Emerson Pl., Brooklyn, New York
Area	9 acres (3.6 ha)
Architect	Multiple
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Renaissance, Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	90001138
Added to NRHP	March 23, 2005

Library

Pratt Institute Historic District is a national historic district that consists of 36 contributing buildings built between 1885 and 1936. It includes the Main Hall (1886), library (1896), South Hall (c. 1890s), and Memorial Hall (1926–1927). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Pratt boasts the oldest continuously operating, privately owned, steam-powered electrical-generating plant in the country. The facility's historic value was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and named a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

The library at Pratt Institute, which was opened in 1888 to serve not only students but the general public as well, was the first free public library in Brooklyn. The architect of the building was William Tubby of Brooklyn. The decoration in the building was done by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.

Engineering Building

Residence Halls

All residence hall students are provided with a bed (twin extra-long), a drafting table, a chair and a dresser. Students residing in a dorm on campus are required to be on a mandatory meal plan (Stabile, Cannoneer, ELJ, and Pantas), while those off campus are able to sign up for an optional meal plan (Willoughby and Grand Avenue).

Cannoneer Court, or the Cann, was designed by famed architecture firm SOM in 1986 and was constructed using a then-unique form of modular construction. Each individual dorm room was constructed off-site and then set into place like building blocks. This traditional corridor-style residence houses students in double rooms, and bathrooms are communal. The building has a lounge and work area as well as a garden courtyard. The rooms are air-conditioned and carpeted. Although it was meant for temporary housing in 1986, this building still stands today for use as freshman housing. As of Fall 2010, the first floor rooms are used for housing freshman students as well.

Esther Lloyd-Jones Hall is named for a trendsetter in modern American higher education. ELJH accommodates students single and double rooms. ELJH is occupied primarily by upperclassmen continuing students; vacancies for new transfer and graduate students sometimes do occur.

Designed by SOM in 1986, the Leo J. Pantas dormitory sits centrally located on campus. Students live in four-person suites, which consist of two double rooms (two people in each double room), and each suite has its own bathroom. Suites are single sex, but floors are co-ed. Each suite is responsible for the healthy upkeep of the common bathroom area. This building has no air conditioning. The building boasts a large work area in addition to a dramatic main lounge area with a large screen TV. Its central location on campus makes it desirable to students, with its clock tower serving as a campus landmark.

Grand Avenue Residence is home to new and continuing graduate students. The building can accommodate 50 students in efficiency apartments (double and single) and private single rooms within two- and three-bedroom apartments. A double-efficiency apartment is two students sharing a one-room apartment (with kitchen and bath). A single-efficiency apartment is one student in a private one-room apartment with kitchen and bath. A shared single is two or more students, each with its own private bedroom, sharing kitchen, bath, and living room. The building is located one block from campus. Each living room is furnished with a sofa, club chair, coffee table, kitchen table, and chairs.

Willoughby Residence Hall is a former 16 (no 13th floor) story apartment co-op, and is the largest residence hall. It accommodates 800 undergraduate men and women. Very few apartments are now co-ed. In addition to the standard furniture, all apartments have a kitchen table, stove, and refrigerator. All students are assigned to double, triple, or single spaces. The converted apartments consist of at least one double or triple that occupies the former living-room space of the apartment. The number of students residing in a given apartment ranges from two to six students, depending upon the size of the converted apartment—studio, one-, two-, or three-bedroom.

Vincent A. Stabile Hall opened in the Fall of 1999. Named for the donor and graduate of the Engineering School, it was designed for new undergraduate students. It houses 240 students in four-person suites. Each suite consists of two double rooms with a shared bath. There are kitchenettes located on each floor.

A new Myrtle Avenue building currently under construction will house the Student Services Center, Digital Art Center and the Convergence and Fine Arts studios, as well as the Pratt Center for Community Development, which will share space with Pratt's Development and Alumni Relations department.Retail shops will occupy the first floor. The building was designed by Pratt Institute School of Architecture alumnus Jack Esterson AIA of the New York City architecture and engineering firm WASA/Studio A, and is on track to achieve LEED Gold Certification.

Outside Brooklyn

The Pratt Manhattan campus, located at 144 West 14th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue, is home to Pratt's associate degrees programs in graphic design, illustration, and digital design and interactive media, an undergraduate program in construction management and several of Pratt's graduate programs including the School of Information and Library Science, Communication Design (MFA and MS), Historic Preservation, Facilities management, Design Management and Arts and Cultural Management. This seven story historic building was acquired by Pratt in 2000. The Institute restored the building's exterior to its original facade highlighting its decorative architectural and design elements and renovated the interior to feature its high ceilings and wood beams. A lovely staircase from the building's lobby leads to the Pratt Manhattan Gallery offering a rich array of shows from fine art and sculpture to fashion.

This new building houses the Graduate School for Information and Library Science, the Graduate Programs in Communications and Package Design, Design Management, Arts and cultural Management and the two-year Associates Degree Programs in Digital Design, Graphic Design and Illustration. The modern building has many resources like a library, computer lab and meeting spaces.

In 2010 Pratt acquired the entire 3rd floor of a building on W 18th Street to serve as a studio space for its new MFA program in Communications Design.

In 1977, the first Manhattan campus opened in a nineteenth-century women's dress design school, a New York City Landmark building at Lexington Avenue and 31st Street. At this time, Manhattan had long been the epicenter of publishing design during the latter-twentieth century. This new commercial-art-dedicated satellite was modeled to apply intensely concentrated vocational training in graphic design, illustration, package design, and textile design. Its faculty was largely composed of Manhattan's working professionals, who themselves had achieved the level of skill necessary to meet the city's global-defining standards. Magazines, books, music albums, movie posters, print and television advertisements and packaging for all forms of retail products were the intended goals for its graduates, as well as Manhattan's omnipresent fashion industry. In addition, the below-ground space in the school was converted into a state of the art printmaking facility, teaching artist-created lithography, silk screening and engraving.

Pratt also has a campus in Utica, New York, referred to as PrattMWP, at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. Students there complete their first two years of study at Munson-Williams-Proctor campus and finish their BFA degree at the Brooklyn campus. PrattMWP has a world-class museum, extensive academic facilities, and programs in graphic design, illustration, fine arts, art education, photography, and interior design.

Academics

Schools and academic divisions

Pratt Institute is divided into five schools with more than 30 departments offering over 23 undergraduate majors and 11 minors and 37 graduate degrees.

The schools include:

• Pratt Institute School of Architecture
  • Department of Undergraduate Architecture
  • Department of Graduate Architecture
  • Department of Construction Management
  • Department of Facilities Management
  • Department of Graduate Architecture and Urban Design
  • Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
• School of Art and Design
  • Department of Foundation Art
  • Department of Art and Design Education
  • Department of Creative Arts Therapy
  • Department of Arts and Cultural Management
  • Department of Communications Design
  • Department of Graduate Communications/Packaging Design
  • Department of Digital Arts
  • Department of Design Management
  • Department of Fashion Design
  • Department of Film and Video
  • Department of Fine Arts
  • Department of the History of Art & Design
  • Department of Industrial Design
  • Department of Interior Design
  • Department of Media Arts
  • Associate Degree Programs
• School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Department of English and Humanities
  • Critical and Visual Studies
  • Intensive English Program
  • Department of Math and Science
  • Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies
  • Writing Program
• School of Information and Library Science (Pratt has the oldest continuously accredited library-science school in the US.)
• Center for Continuing Education and Professional Studies

Rankings and lists

Pratt was named one of the country's best values in private colleges and universities according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance, which ranked Pratt as one of the top values for academic quality and affordability out of more than 600 private institutions. Pratt is the country's only college specializing in art and design included on the publication's 2010-2011 list of the top 100 private college and universities ranked as best values.

• 1. 1 Interior Design U.S. News & World Report
  2. 4 Industrial Design U.S. News & World Report
  3. 9 Graphic Design U.S. News & World Report
• 9 Architecture by DesignIntelligence
  1. 15 Fine Arts U.S. News & World Report

Demographics

Ethnic composition of student body

	Student Body	U.S. Census
White (non-Hispanic)	47.4%	73.9%
African American	4.3%	12.4%
Asian American	17%	4.3%
Native American	0.3%	0.8%
Hispanic American (of any race)	8.9%	14.7%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic	2.8%	(N/A)
International students	19.2%	(N/A)

Pratt Institute students, numbering 3,054 undergraduates and 1,612 graduates in Fall 2012, come from more than 60 countries, and all 50 states. The ratio of women to men is 2:1, and 32 percent are graduate and professional students. Minority populations constitute nearly half of the student body, with 4.3 percent African-Americans, 8.9 percent Hispanics, 0.3 percent Native American, and 17 percent Asian-Americans or Pacific Islanders.

Notable faculty

• Josh Koury, filmmaker
• Fritz Eichenberg, printmaker
• Philip Guston, painter
• Jacob Lawrence, painter
• Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, painter, School of Visual Arts
• George McNeil, painter
• Jonathan Beller, film theorist
• Manuel de Landa (adjunct), philosopher, artist
• Eva Zeisel, ceramic artist/designer
• Matthew Sharpe, author

Student media

Pratt has several student media groups including a Film Club.

The Prattler is Pratt's monthly student magazine.

Static Fish, a comic book publication established over 20 years ago.

Ubiquitous is Pratt's literary and arts magazine, published twice a year with reading event on campus per semester and also maintains a blog.

Pratt's yearbook, Prattonia, is designed by selected Pratt students.

Pratt Radio, a student-run internet radio station broadcasts on the web. Originally broadcasting from a limited-range signal in the mid-1980s, the FCC stepped in and shut the operation down after students modified the broadcast tower, rendering Pratt Radio pirate radio. The station later re-emerged in 2001 as a legitimate internet-only station.

Athletics

The Pratt Cannoneers, a founding member of the Hudson Valley Athletic Conference (NCAA Division III), has varsity teams competing in men's basketball, soccer, cross-country, indoor/outdoor track, and tennis; as well as women's soccer, tennis, cross-country, indoor/outdoor track, and volleyball.

The men's basketball team has a storied tradition, including the 4th longest collegiate basketball rivalry in the nation between Pratt and Polytechnic University (Brooklyn, NY), with Pratt holding the overall record 78-59. The Cannoneers also took home a national collegiate championship title in 1901, and made four NAIA ('59, '60, '61, and '62) and two ECAC ('77,'79) post-season appearances. Former players included Ed Mazria ('62), who was drafted by the New York Knicks, and Anthony Heyward ('94), who currently tours with the And1 streetball team as "Half Man Half Amazing". Bernard Chang was formerly captain of the Men's Varsity basketball team.

The women's cross-country team recently captured the 2006 HMWAC championship title and coach Dalton Evans won "Coach of the Year" honors. The men's cross-country team also has a championship title. The women's tennis team has won three HVWAC titles, including an appearance in the ECAC tournament.

In addition, there are intramural activities schedules throughout the year, ranging from individual (tennis and track & field) to team sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, and touch football). Two premier student intramurals events include the fall classic Halloween Pratt Ratt Outdoor Obstacle Relay Race and the annual Mr. & Ms. Pratt All Thatt Fitness & Artistic Expression Pageant finale.

The Athletics Resource Center (A.R.C.) is home to the athletic department, and features the largest clear-span space in Brooklyn. It also hosts the annual Colgate Games, the nation's largest amateur track series for girls from elementary school through college.

Cannon

The school's mascot, the Cannoneer, derives from the 19th century cannon that stands prominently near the main gate to the campus. Cast in bronze in Seville, Spain, the cannon bears the insignia of Philip V and was brought to Pratt from the walls of Morro Castle in Havana, Cuba, in 1899.

In popular culture

• The music video of Billy Joel's song The Longest Time was filmed in its entirety at Pratt Institute in 1984.
• Comic book artist Daniel Clowes's experience at the Pratt Institute provided the inspiration for his satirical comic Art School Confidential, upon which the 2006 film of the same name was based.
• Segments of the 1990 movie Jacob's Ladder were filmed at Pratt, as well as scenes for the 2006 film The Good Shepherd, directed by Robert De Niro. Some episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit were filmed on campus.
• Pam Beesly from The Office was accepted to Pratt in the episode "Goodbye, Toby." She studies for three months and leaves Pratt by the episode "Business Trip."
• Liz Lee, star of the quasi-reality series My Life as Liz currently attends Pratt and much of the filming of the second season was done on location.
• In the first season of the TV show Fringe, Pratt was used as a shooting location to stand in for Harvard University.
• Season 2 of In Treatment features April, an architecture student at Pratt who has cancer.

Alumni

Selected notable alumni from Pratt include the following:

• 
  Joseph Barbera
• 
  Donald A. Hall
• 
  Terrence Howard
• 
  Betsy Johnson
• 
  Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino
• Robert Redford
  Robert Redford
• David Sarnoff
  David Sarnoff
• 
  Sarah Schkeeper
• 
  Lynne Stewart

• Tone Aanderaa (painter)
• Ralph Appelbaum (museum designer)
• Marshall Arisman (illustrator, painter, educator, storyteller)
• David Ascalon (sculptor)
• Ken Bald (illustrator, newspaper comic strip artist) (did not graduate)
• Joseph Barbera (animator) (did not graduate)
• Gwendolyn B. Bennett (poet, artist) (graduated in 1924)
• Dave Berg (cartoonist, Mad) (attended classes at age 12, in 1932)
• Willard Bond (painter) (graduated in 1949)
• Emery Bopp (painter and sculptor) (did not graduate)
• Joe Boudreau (painter) (graduated in 1981)
• Rich Burlew (author, game designer, and graphic designer)
• Cecily Byk (painter)
• William D. Byron, Maryland (politician)
• Paul Calle (1928–2010), artist who created the 1969 stamp commemorating the first manned moon landing.
• Bernard Chang (illustrator)
• Echo Chernik (illustrator)
• Kay Chiromo, Malawian oil painter, and illustrator
• Daniel Clowes (screenwriter, cartoonist, Art School Confidential, a story related to his experience at Pratt)
• Bryan Collier (children's book illustrator)
• Lois Conner (Photographer)
• Roger Cook (graphic designer)
• Jennifer Dalton (artist)
• Joshua Davis (web and graphic designer)
• Ben de Lisi (fashion designer)
• Louis Delsarte (artist)
• Tomie dePaola (children's author-illustrator)
• Carrie Devorah (graduated in 1978: children's book illustrator, licensor, blogger, author, scribal artist, news photographer(retired) covering the White House and Capitol Hill)( Pratt Alumni DC/Greater Washington Chapter )
• Gus Edson (cartoonist)
• Lloyd Espenschied (electrical engineer)
• Jules Feiffer (cartoonist)
• Harvey Fierstein (actor)
• Suzanne Fiol, avant-garde music producer and founder of ISSUE Project Room
• John Flansburgh (musician, half of They Might Be Giants)
• Richard Foster (architect)
• Jason Freeny (sculptor and digital artist)
• Roderick Gilchrist (director of the Cartoon Art Museum)
• Bob Giraldi (director, filmmaker)
• Eric Goldberg (animator)
• Félix González-Torres (artist)
• Bill Griffith (cartoonist, Zippy)
• Jan Groover (photographer)
• Donald A. Hall (aeronautical engineer, designer of the Spirit of St. Louis)
• Christian Hawkey (poet, novelist)
• Gregory Henderson (photographer)
• Eva Hesse (sculptor)
• Keung Szeto (artist)
• Malcolm Holzman (architect)
• William Howard Hoople (minister and inventor, one of the first 12 students)
• Ryszard Horowitz (photographer)
• Terrence Howard (actor)
• Betsey Johnson (fashion designer)
• Matt Johnson (of the indie rock duo Matt and Kim)
• Malcolm Jones III (comic book artist)
• Ellsworth Kelly (painter, sculptor)
• Nathan King (graphic designer, digital media and marketing director)
• Jack Kirby (comic book artist, did not graduate)
• Ben Knight (designer, installation artist, inventor)
• Frances Kornbluth (painter)
• Josh Koury (filmmaker)
• Martin Landau (actor, artist)
• Elizabeth Lee (from the MTV show My Life as Liz)
• Anita Lobel (illustrator, author)
• Arnold Lobel (illustrator, author of the Frog & Toad books)
• George Lois (art & advertising director)
• Robert Mapplethorpe (photographer)
• Soraya Marcano (mixed media artwork)
• Irvin Leigh Matus, (Shakespearean scholar)
• Earl Mayan (magazine illustrator)
• Peter Max (artist)
• Vera Maxwell (fashion designer)
• Marcus McLaurin (comic book writer/editor)
• Wendy McMurdo (artist)
• George McNeil (painter)
• Emil Memon (artist)
• Morton Meskin (comic book artist)
• Jacqui Morgan (painter, illustrator, textile artist)
• Jeff Morrow (commercial artist, actor)
• Colleen Mulligan (painter)
• Judith Murray (painter)
• Kadir Nelson (illustrator, children's book author)
• Tom Nikosey (designer and illustrator)
• Martin Nodell (comic book artist)
• Norman Norell (fashion designer)
• Laura Numeroff (children's book author)
• Abraham Nathanson (1929–2010), developer of the game Bananagrams.
• Bryan Osburn (painter)
• Roxy Paine (conceptual artist)
• Troy-Moses Panton (architect)
• Roberto Parada (illustrator)
• Beverly Pepper (sculptor)
• Denis Peterson (photorealist painter)
• John Peterson (author) (children's book author)
• Pelle Petterson (yacht and automobile designer)
• John M. Pierce (writer on amateur telescope making)
• Sylvia Plachy (photographer)
• Charles Pollock (chair designer)
• Charles E. Pont (painter, illustrator, printmaker, graphic designer)
• Bob Powell (comic book artist)
• George Pratt (painter and graphic novel artist)
• Hawley Pratt (layout artist under Friz Freleng)
• Paul Rand (graphic designer)
• David Ratcliff (painter)
• Robert Redford (actor, director)
• J. Noel Reifel (printmaker)
• Matthew Reinhart (creator of pop-up books)
• Lealand Eve Richard (illustrator, painter)
• Willy Bo Richardson (painter)
• Robert Riger (illustrator, photographer)
• Michele van de Roer (artist, designer, and engraver)
• Michael Rosen (technology director, The New York Times)
• Robert Sabuda (children's book creator)
• Stefan Sagmeister (graphic designer) {note: He was an exchange student}
• Kim Schifino, member of Matt and Kim, indie pop duo
• Sarah Schkeeper (Guard of New York Sharks and designer)
• Jeremy Scott (fashion designer)
• Nat Mayer Shapiro (painter)
• Rob Sheridan (artist, graphic and web designer, editor, art director)
• Jean Shin (installation and multi-media artist)
• Robert Siegel (architect)
• David Silverman (animator)
• Louis Silverstein (graphic designer, The New York Times)
• Pamela Colman Smith (artist, illustrator, writer)
• Patti Smith (singer and poet)
• Yoshi Sodeoka (artist and musician)
• Leonard Starr (comic strip illustrator)
• Therman Statom (glass artist)
• Lynne Stewart (civil rights lawyer)
• Elke Reva Sudin (artist, illustrator)
• Swoon (street artist)
• Joseph Szabo (photographer)
• Mickalene Thomas (artist)
• Elliot Tiber (screenwriter who "saved" Woodstock Festival)
• Dante Tomaselli (director, score composer, writer)
• Boaz Vaadia (sculptor)
• William Van Alen (architect, the Chrysler Building)
• Frank Verlizzo (design artist)
• Lindsey 'LynZ' Way (musician, artist)
• Max Weber (painter)
• Kent Williams (illustrator)
• William T. Williams (artist)
• Robert Wilson (director)
• Terry Winters (artist)
• Mary Elizabeth Wood (librarian)
• Lorenzo Snow Young (architect)
• Rob Zombie (musician, director, writer)
• Peter Zumthor (architect)

• 
  William Van Allen’s Chrysler Building
• 
  Architect Richard Foster’s David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center
• 
  New Burchfield Penny Art Center by architects Charles Gwathmey and Siegel
• Alumni Kermit Love’s Big Bird
  Alumni Kermit Love’s Big Bird
• Betty Boop character design by Myron Waldman
  Betty Boop character design by Myron Waldman
• 
  Scrabble created by architecture alumni Alfred Mospher Butts
• 
  Industrial Designer John Cafaro’s Corvette C5

References

• Elbert Hubbard, 1909, Little Journeys to the Homes
• Tarbell, Ida M. 1904, The History of Standard Oil
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Web site, Pratt Institute page
• Pratt Institute official Web site, History page
• New York Times article announcing end of engineering school

External links

• Pratt Institute official site
• Pratt Institute—Documentary produced by Treasures of New York