Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 1887 with programs primarily in engineering, architecture, and fine arts. Comprising six schools, the institute is primarily known for its programs in architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and fine arts.
History
Inception
thumb|left|170px|[[Charles Pratt, founder of Pratt Institute]]
Pratt Institute was founded in 1887 by American industrialist Charles Pratt, a successful businessman, oil tycoon, and one of the wealthiest men in the history of Brooklyn. He was an early pioneer of the oil industry in the United States. He was the founder of Astral Oil Works based in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, which was a leader in replacing whale oil with petroleum. In 1867, he established Charles Pratt and Company, and in 1874, his companies amalgamated with John D. Rockefeller's companies. They became part of the Standard Oil trust, where Pratt continued his active involvement on the board and the running of it.
Pratt, an advocate of education, wanted to provide working men and women the opportunity to better their lives through education. He had never had the chance to go to college himself, and wanted to create an affordable college accessible to the working class. In 1884 he purchased large plots of land near his home in Clinton Hill to open a school. It would end up being built only two blocks from his residence on Clinton Avenue.
Utilizing his fortunes with Astral Oil and Charles Pratt and Company, in 1886 he endowed and founded Pratt Institute. In May 1887, the New York State Legislature granted Charles Pratt a charter to open the school. On October 17, 1887, the institute opened to 12 students in the Main Hall. Tuition was $4 per class per term (approximately ).
The college was one of the first in the country open to all people, regardless of class, color, and gender. In the early years, its mission was to offer education to those who never had it offered to them before.
Pratt believed that teaching technical skills - drawing, building, designing - promoted intellectual thought and creativity. Many programs were tailored to 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, whether 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. The curriculum was complemented by a large liberal arts curriculum. Students studied subjects such as history, mathematics, physics, and literature to better understand the world in which they would be working, which is still used in Pratt's curriculum. At the first Founder's 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.
As public interest grew and demand increased, the school began adding new programs, including the Pratt High School, Library School, Music Department, and Department of Commerce. Because of the overwhelming popularity of the Department of Commerce, the department broke off from the main institute and formed its own school, under the guidance of Norman P. Heffley, personal secretary to Charles Pratt. The Heffley School of Commerce, the former Pratt Department of Commerce, originally having shared facilities with Pratt, evolved into Brooklyn Law School.
In 1891, Charles Pratt died, and his eldest son, Charles Millard Pratt, became president of the school. In 1923, Pratt's other son, Frederic B. Pratt, was elected president of Pratt Institute, taking over from his 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 thrived both financially and critically, with many new construction projects and courses. By 1892, the number of students enrolled was 3,900. In 1897, the most popular major was domestic arts.
In 1896, the school opened its monumental Victorian-Renaissance Revival library, with interiors designed by the Tiffany Decorating and Glass Company, and sprawling gardens. The library was open to students and the general public. The Pratt Institute Library was the first and only public library in Brooklyn for nearly 15 years. It served as a working classroom for the training of librarians, and was one of the first schools of library science. It also had the first reading room for children in New York City.
By the turn of the century, the School of Science and Technology had become Pratt's most prestigious and well-known school, and constituted most of the school's enrollment. Across from East Building on Grand Avenue, the institute constructed a new quad for the engineering school over a quarter of a century. The Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering buildings were constructed in the same architectural style, unifying all disciplines offered by the school. Pratt also had a variety of courses dedicated specifically to women. 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 School of Science and Technology.
By 1938, most programs at the school had begun offering four-year Bachelor of Science degrees, and Pratt transformed itself from a technical school to a college. By granting bachelor's degrees, Pratt had to revise its curriculum from two years to four. The changes also reflected New York State requirements for granting degrees and stricter government and professional licensing regulations for graduates. During this decade, the basic program for all Art School students was founded. The elevated train running along Grand Avenue between the East Building/Student Union and the Engineering Quad was dismantled. On the new real estate, the school was able to build several new structures, Dekalb Hall, Information Science Center and North Hall, all designed by the firm of McKim, Mead & White, including the Information Science Center and Dekalb Hall, as well as a new student union. 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 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 faced large amounts of crime and poverty. Enrollment fell, and the school had a budget deficit. Prospective students and faculty felt uneasy about the safety of the campus and community.
In 1974, the men's basketball team came to the attention of national media outlets when Cyndi Meserve joined the team, becoming the first woman to play men's NCAA basketball.
More students earned architecture degrees than mechanical engineering degrees in 1975. Architecture degrees became the most popular degrees at Pratt, and remain so.
Revitalization and growth
<!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|left|Higgins Hall center section rebuilt by Steven Holl -->
By closing the costly School of Engineering, the school was able to clear its debt and get on the track to financial success. Funds were allocated for campus-wide beautification projects and restoration and modernization of historic buildings, starting with Memorial Hall. This included adding the Pratt Institute Sculpture Park in 1999, placing contemporary art sculptures throughout the campus lawns and gardens, making it the largest contemporary sculpture park in New York City.
Pratt began a partnership with the Pratt Munson College of Art and Design (Utica, New York) and the Delaware College of Art and Design (Wilmington, Delaware) 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 increased enrollment by twenty-five percent, from approximately 3,000 students in 1990 to 4,000 students in 2000.
- School of Continuing and Professional Studies
The Pratt Institute also operates the Pratt Institute Libraries.
Former schools of the Pratt Institute include:
- School of Domestic Arts and Sciences
- School of Engineering
Academics
Joint degree programs
Brooklyn Law School and Pratt Institute jointly sponsor a program leading to the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Science (M.S.) in City and Regional Planning.
Accreditation
Pratt Institute is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and is authorized to award academic degrees by the State of New York, following guidelines established by the New York State Department of Education.
The Bachelor of Architecture degree and the Master of Architecture degree at the School of Architecture are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The undergraduate interior design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.
Graduate programs in library and information science, art therapy, and art education are all accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association, Education Approval Board of the American Art Therapy Association, and RATE, respectively.
Rankings
In its 2025 list, U.S. News & World Report ranked several Pratt Institute's graduate programs highly: #15 in Best Fine Arts Programs, #11 in Painting/Drawing, #29 in Best Library and Information Studies Program, and #10 in Archives and Preservation. The Bachelor of Architecture program has been ranked as being in the top fifteen programs in the United States consistently since 2000, according to Architectural Record.
While Kiplinger's Personal Finance previously named Pratt as one of the country's best values in private colleges and universities, it was no longer listed in their rankings as of 2019. It was previously included as one of the top values for academic quality and affordability, out of more than 600 private institutions.
In 2023 and 2024, Pratt Institute was ranked sixth globally, according to the QS World University Rankings by the subject Art and Design.
Campus
Brooklyn campus
thumb|Cannon Court
thumb|Main building as viewed from Rose Garden
Pratt Institute's main campus is located on a historic, esteemed, enclosed campus located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn, 2 miles from Downtown Brooklyn and 3 miles from Lower Manhattan. Midtown Manhattan is just 5 miles from the campus.
The campus is accessible by two public entrances, both of which close in the evening hours and are guarded by security 24 hours a day. The main gate located at Willoughby Avenue on the north side of campus is accessible for pedestrians and vehicles, while the secondary pedestrian-only gate located at the corner of Hall Street and DeKalb Avenue at the southwest part of campus is convenient for commuters and for students to get to Higgins Hall. Three other swipe card access gates are only for student use. The campus is very park-like and fully landscaped, and provides a stark contrast to the urban neighborhood that surrounds the school.
The four main areas of the campus include the Library Rose Garden, Cannon Court, Newman Mall and Amphitheater, and the Engineering Quad:
- The historically significant Rose Garden is located directly north of the library and was built as a part of the library acting as a public park. At the center of the garden is a 1926 World War I memorial to commemorate the men and women of Pratt Institute in the war.
- The Cannon Court is located directly south of the library and serves as the main entrance from the Hall Street gate. A central feature of the court is a large bronze Spanish cannon from 1720, originally from Seville, Spain, and brought to Pratt from Morro Castle in Havana, Cuba in 1899.
- The Engineering Quadrangle, which is recognized as a historic landmark, is located north of the Newman Mall toward the eastern side of campus. The Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering buildings enclose the quad, which has terraced landscaping and gardens with many mature trees.
The entire campus is open to the public as park space during the daytime. Throughout the campus, many contemporary sculptures fill the gardens and landscape. The Pratt Sculpture Park, founded in 1999, is the largest contemporary sculpture park in New York City,
List of sculptures on campus
Sources:
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
!Displayed since
!Name of sculpture
!Artist
|-
|2016
|La Méditerranée
|Philippe Anthonioz
|-
|1981
|Accord Final
|Arman
|-
|1999
|Picnic Table
|Siah Armajani
|-
|1993
|Leaf
| rowspan="2" |Ilan Averbuch
|-
|2005
|The Book of Stone and Steel
|-
|2011
|Maze 1
|Phyllis Baker Hammond
|-
|1995
|Image 95
|Masaru Bando
|-
|2014
|Whispering Bench— Texting
|Cathey Billian
|-
|1995
|Wind Reeds
|Bill & Mary Buchen
|-
|2007
|Seven of Hearts
| rowspan="2" |Noël Copeland
|-
|2009
|Brooklyn Blooms
|-
|2013
|Half Story Mountain
|Grayson Cox
|-
|2002
|Jive
|Mark di Suvero
|-
|2013
|Learning
|Anne Gillen
|-
|1988–1993
|Leucantha
|Philip Grausman
|-
|2004
|Epistrophy, Straight No Chaser, Round Midnight
|Richard Heinrich
|-
|2005
|Skylark
|David Henderson
|-
|2009
|Silo
|Tomasz Jan Groza
|-
|2001
|Fourth Dimension
|Ann Jon
|-
|2008
|Segmented Flower Form Part 1
|Mary Judge
|-
|2011
|24M
|Michael Kalish
|-
|2001
|Lions at the Gate
|Wendy Klemperer
|-
|1990–1999
|6 Copper Spheres
|Grace Knowlton
|-
|2003
|Saratoga Winter
|Harry E. Leigh
|-
|1996
|F.R.S.B.
|Donald Lipski
|-
|2000
|Uplifting
|Sandy Macleod
|-
|1979
|Untitled
| rowspan="4" |Michael Malpass
|-
|1988
|Zinnia
|-
|1979
|Tool Ball
|-
|1986
|Trilogy (square)
|-
|2012
|Ascent
|Jackson Martin
|-
|2008–2009
|Waiting for Coyote
|Nao Matsumoto
|-
|1996
|Manhole Covers
|Brad Michael McCallum
|-
|2007
|Pratt Pillows
|Mark Mennin
|-
|2007
|Untitled
|Sung Ha No
|-
|Date unknown
|Promise
| rowspan="2" |Neil Noland
|-
|Date unknown
|Spinoff
|-
|2011
|Sun
|Avital Oz
|-
|2006
|Object/Product
|Mark Parsons
|-
|2012
|Double Sbalzo
|Beverly Pepper
|-
|2006
|Ecstasy
|Nova Mihai Popa
|-
|2004
|Aerated Rectangles
| rowspan="2" |Salvatore M. Romano
|-
|2009–2010
|Five Equal Volumes
|-
|Date unknown
|Untitled
|Tony Rosenthal
|-
|2007
|Four Floating Disks
|G.A. Ruda
|-
|2004
|Particle/Wave, Time/Space Continuum
|Karl Saliter
|-
|2006
|Dream of Africa
|Shin Sang-ho
|-
|2012
|Scarce of Fishing
|Arden Scott
|-
|1990
|Chair
|Alan Siegel
|-
|2014
|Intersections: Gardens #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9
|Arlene Slavin
|-
|2007
|Block 700
|Sean Slemon
|-
|2001
|Guardian
| rowspan="3" |Leon Smith
|-
|2004
|Red Cabinet
|-
|2002
|Triangle
|-
|2006
|Black E.C. Tower
|Kenneth Snelson
|-
|2003
|Silent Beam
|Takashi Soga
|-
|2000
|Siting on His Laurels
|Dana L. Stewart
|-
|Date unknown
|Bench
|George Sugarman
|-
|Date unknown
|Right Angles
|Gunnar Theel
|-
|2012
|Brickhead: Yemanga
|James Tyler
|-
|Date unknown
|Three Cement Goats
|Unknown artist
|-
|2002
|Mier
| rowspan="3" |Boaz Vaadia
|-
|2002
|Sara
|-
|2002
|Rebecca
|-
|2006
|Ode to Miles Davis
| rowspan="2" |Hans Van de Bovenkamp
|-
|1974
|Undulation
|-
|2009
|The End Justifies the Means, Justifies the End...
|Martha Walter
|-
|2012
|Pratt Desk
|Allan Wexler
|-
|1979
|Swirl
| rowspan="3" |Jack Youngerman
|-
|1981
|Wave
|-
|1971
|Blade
|-
|2006
|Welcome II
|Raphael Zollinger
|-
|2012
|Recall
|Jean Shin
|-
|}
Buildings
Pratt is home to a diverse collection of buildings composed of several architectural styles. Most of the buildings at the school were built before World War II in the style of Romanesque Revival, Victorian, and Neoclassical styles, and were designed by prominent nineteenth- and twentieth-century architects. After the war, Pratt began building more contemporary-styled buildings.
In 2011, Architectural Digest named Pratt as one of the top ten most architecturally significant college campuses in the country, for its seamless collection of buildings dating from since the 1800s.
- East Hall is located directly behind Main Hall, and faces Grand Walk. Designed by William Windrim, a main feature of the brick building is the large smokestack which served the institute's power generation plant. The hall houses student services including Career Services, Student Activities, International Student Affairs, and the Pratt Chapel. Located in the lower level of the building is Pratt's continuously operating, privately owned, steam-powered electrical generating plant, built originally to serve the power needs of the school. In 1977 the facility was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and named a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark. As part of its goal of reducing emissions 40 percent by 2040, Pratt plans to transition its steam-powered electrical generating plant away from burning natural gas or heavy oil. In 2023, Pratt Institute removed two combustion engineering water tube boilers, and replaced these boilers with two Cleaver Brooks fire tube boilers.
- The Student Union, by architect William Tubby, was originally built as the Trade School building. Soon after completion, it was remodeled as the Student Union, complete with a gymnasium and swimming pool. In 1982 the building was renovated again as the new Student Union.
Other structures include:
- South Hall, located along Reyerson Walk to the direct south of Main Building, was finished in 1892 by William Tubby and was built as the Pratt High School. When the high school closed near the turn of the century, the building was used for the School of Domestic Arts and Sciences. The building is now home to classrooms, studios, and offices for programs in the Department of Fine Arts, part of the School of Art and Design.
- Pratt Institute Library, which was opened in 1888 to serve students and the general public, became the first free public library in Brooklyn. Its architect was William Tubby of Brooklyn. The interior in the building was done by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.
- The Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering Buildings are located across from Grand Walk and East Building, which are clustered around the Engineering Quad's lawn and gardens. They were built in phases between 1908 and 1928, and were designed by architecture firm Howells & Stokes. At the center of the building is a small courtyard. Originally the center was two separate buildings that were acquired by Pratt in 1962 and 1970, respectively. and was designed to the two original, separate, brick buildings. The lead architect for the project was the School of Architecture's dean, Thomas Hanrahan. It was completed in 1898 and designed by architects Babb, Cook, and Willard for Frederic B. Pratt, the institute's third president, the son of Charles Pratt. It is four blocks west of the school on Clinton Avenue, near the other Pratt family mansions.
- Higgins Hall, one block south of the main campus, houses the entire School of Architecture, with the exception of Construction Management programs. The historic Romanesque Revival landmark building with a contemporary center wing houses the school's administrative offices, computer labs, student classrooms, laboratories, a lecture hall, a small café, and the Hazel and Robert H. Siegel Gallery. The building was originally built for the prestigious Adelphi Academy, now Adelphi University, in phases from 1868 through 1890, by Mundell and Teckritz and Charles C. Haight. Charles Pratt also partially funded the construction of the building as part of his philanthropic efforts. The building was given to Pratt Institute in 1965 by the wife of John Higgins, architect and alumni of Adelphi Academy. The School of Architecture was relocated here. In 1996, the building experienced a major fire, destroying the center wing and severely damaging the northern and southern wings. In 2005, the school replaced the center wing with a new sleek and contemporary glass structure, which linked the historic brick northern and southern wings, designed by Steven Holl, and incorporated complementary contrast to the original essence. As part of the rebuilding of Higgins Hall, Rogers Marvel Architects restored and renovated the original nineteenth-century wings to their former glory.
<gallery>
File:Pratt library sunny jeh.jpg|Library
File:Pratt Memorial Hall jeh.jpg|Memorial Hall
File:Pratt Inst powerhouse sun jeh.jpg|East Hall
File:Pratt Engineering Bldg rainy jeh.jpg|Engineering Building
File:Pratt Chemistry bldg rainy jeh.jpg|Chemistry Building
</gallery>
Historic sites
Several Pratt buildings and landscapes are historically significant. The Pratt Institute Historic District is a national historic district that comprises 10 contributing buildings built between 1885 and 1936. Several buildings are recognized as being New York City Designated Landmarks. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and was awarded the Getty Foundation Campus Heritage Grant. Two buildings outside the historic district, Higgins Hall and the Caroline Ladd Pratt House, are also listed on the historic register as being a part of the Clinton Hill Historic District. The buildings and structures listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for their architectural or historical significance are: Pratt offers the following residence halls for students:
- Esther Lloyd-Jones Hall is named for a trendsetter in modern American higher education. The building was originally a private apartment building built in 1921, amd was acquired by Pratt in 1964 to use for dormitories. ELJ accommodates students in single and double rooms in apartment-style accommodations. It is occupied primarily by upperclassmen continuing students.
- Emerson Hall is the newest dorm on the Pratt campus, opening in the fall of 2019. It was built specifically as a freshman dorm. It was collaboratively designed by CannonDesign and Hanrahan Meyers Architects to encourage interaction. The dorm is off campus, across the street from the Film and Video Building. It contains double rooms, with several individual bathrooms and separate, individual shower rooms on each floor, to be shared by floor residents. Each floor also contains a large central common space with a small kitchen.
- Leo J. Pantas Hall was opened in 1987 and designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It is centrally located on campus. Students live in four-person suites, which consist of two double rooms (two people in each double room). Each suite has a bathroom. Suites are single-sex, but floors are co-ed. The building has work/study rooms and communal lounges. It was designed in brick with a clock tower, echoing the style of the original 1887 main building. Pantas is primarily a freshman residence hall.
- Vincent A. Stabile Hall opened in the fall of 1999 and was designed by Pasanella+Klein, Stolzman+Berg Architects. 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. Stabile is primarily a freshman residence hall.
thumb|The historic Pratt Townhouses
- The Pratt Townhouses are historic landmarks that were originally constructed from 1901 to 1910 in the colonial revival style to serve as faculty housing. They were designed by Hobart C. Walker. After being neglected for several years, Pratt renovated the townhouses to be used by upperclassmen. Each unit consists of six single rooms spread across three stories, a full kitchen, living room, parlor, basement, and shared backyard.
- Willoughby Hall is a former private apartment building built as part of Robert Moses' urban renewal projects surrounding Pratt, and is the largest residence hall. Built in 1957 by architect John Mead Howells, the 16-story building accommodates 800 undergraduate men and women. 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, depending on the size of the converted apartment—studio, one, two, or three bedrooms.
- 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 a kitchen and bath). A single-efficiency apartment is one student in a private one-room apartment with a kitchen and bath. A shared single is two or more students, each with a private bedroom, sharing a kitchen, bath, and living room. Each living room is furnished with a sofa, club chair, coffee table, kitchen table, and chairs. The building is located one block from campus.
Transportation
thumb|left|The [[Clinton-Washington Avenues (IND Crosstown Line)|Clinton-Washington Avenues subway station of the is close to Pratt's Brooklyn campus.]]
Pratt does not provide any official sponsored transportation options for its students, but there are several public transportation options located directly off the main campus.
The school is served by MTA New York City Bus routes, with the bus route servicing the campus to the south with stations along DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues, and the bus route serving the area north of the campus along Myrtle Avenue. In addition, the New York City Subway's has one station located at the intersection of Washington and Lafayette Avenues and another located at the intersection of Classon and Lafayette Avenues. The Clinton–Washington Avenues station (IND Crosstown Line) is located directly across the street from Higgins Hall. The Classon Avenue station (IND Crosstown Line) is located one block south of the southeast corner of campus. In addition, the has an entrance to Clinton–Washington Avenues station (IND Fulton Street Line) four blocks south of the Hall Gate entrance and three blocks south of Higgins Hall.
New York City's public bike-share program, Citi Bike, has stations nearby at Lafayette Avenue and Saint James Place, at Hall Street and Willoughby Avenue, and Emerson Place and Myrtle Avenue.
The Long Island Rail Road at Atlantic Terminal is located a short walk from the campus. Pratt participates in New Jersey Transit's University Partnership Program, through which students can receive a twenty-five percent discount on monthly passes based out of Penn Station in Manhattan.
Manhattan Center
thumb|Pratt Manhattan
The Pratt Manhattan Center (PMC) building, located at 144 West 14th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue, is home to associate degrees programs, a bachelor's degree program, and graduate programs. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies also offers non-credit courses and certificate programs.
Student life
Demographics
{| style="text-align:center; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin:auto;" class="wikitable"
|+ Ethnic composition of undergraduates 2018–19
! !! Undergrads !!U.S. Census
|-
! White (non-Hispanic)
| 38% || 58.4%
|-
! African-American
| 4% || 13.7%
|-
! Asian American
| 13% || 6.4%
|-
! Native American
| 0% || 1.3%
|-
! Hispanic American (of any race)
| 9% || 19.5%
|-
! Two or more races, non-Hispanic
| 3% || 3.1%
|-
! International students
| 32% || (N/A)
|-
! Unknown
| 1% || (N/A)
|}
Pratt Institute students, numbering 3,435 undergraduates and 1,381 graduate students in the fall os 2019, then came from 86 countries and 48 states. Clubs include the Pratt Photo League, Latinx Student Alliance, Pratt Institute Botanical Society, Aura Dance Crew, and Students for Socialist Revolution.
Student media
Pratt has several student media groups, including a film club.
- The Prattler is Pratt's quarterly student magazine/newspaper, established in 1940.
- Static Fish is a comic book publication established over 20 years ago.
- Ubiquitous is Pratt's literary and arts magazine, published twice a year. It holds reading events on campus per semester, and also maintains a blog.
- Pratt's yearbook, Prattonia, is designed by selected 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 it pirate radio. The station later re-emerged in 2001 as a legitimate, internet-only station.
- The Felt is an online journal of poetry and prose from the MFA Writing program.
Fraternities and sororities
The Inter-Greek Council is responsible for all Greek life organizations at Pratt Institute. Pratt offers one fraternity for male students and two sororities for female students:
- Kappa Sigma
- Theta Phi Alpha
- Sigma Sigma Sigma
Athletics
thumb|Pratt Cannonneers wordmark
Pratt was awarded full Division III membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on September 1, 2022.
The Cannoneers joined the Atlantic East Conference (AEC) in the 2024–25 academic year, and are the only New York institution in the seven-member league.
Pratt sponsors 14 NCAA intercollegiate programs and is a member of the Coast to Coast Conference (C2C), with men's volleyball being a member of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). Pratt began its transition to NCAA Division III with an exploratory season in 2018–19, which was rewarded with provisional membership the following year.
The Cannoneers previously competed in the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) from 2020–21 to 2023–24 and in the American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) during their NCAA Division III exploratory status from 2018–19 to 2019–20.
Facilities
Designed by Ezra Ehrenkranz and Daniel Tully and constructed in 1974, the Activity Resource Center is the main hub for Pratt Athletics and Recreation. The ARC boasts several courts for recreational and competitive activities, a fitness and performance room, a multi-use studio room, a 200-meter indoor track, a boxing and functional fitness area, and over 41,000 square feet of open event space.
It previously hosted the annual Colgate Games, the nation's largest amateur track series for girls from elementary school through college.
People
List of presidents
- Charles Pratt (1830–1891), president 1887–1891
- Charles Millard Pratt (1855–1935), president 1891–1893
- Frederic B. Pratt (1865–1945), president 1893–1937
- Charles Pratt (1892–?), president 1937–1953
- Francis H. Horn, president 1953–1957
- Robert Fisher Oxnam (1915–1974), president 1957–1960
- Richard H. Heindel (c.1913–1979), president 1961–1967
- James B. Donovan (1916–1970), president 1968–1970
- Henry Saltzman, acting president 1970–1972
- Richardson Pratt Jr. (1923–2001) (grandson of Charles Millard Pratt; great-grandson of Charles Pratt), president 1972–1990
- Warren F. Ilchman (1933–), president 1990–1993
- Thomas F. Schutte (1936–2025), president 1993–2017
- Frances Bronet, 2018–present
Alumni
Notable faculty members
- Andrea Ackerman, artist
- Joseph Barbera, animator and co-creator of the Tom and Jerry series of animated shorts
- Karen Bausman, architect
- Jonathan Beller, film theorist
- Jonas Coersmeier, architect
- Peggy Cyphers, painter
- Arthur Deshaies, printmaker
- Eva Díaz, art historian
- Arthur Wesley Dow, decorative arts
- Greg Drasler, painter
- Shannon Ebner, photographer, chairperson of the photography department
- Fritz Eichenberg, printmaker
- Fifi Ekanem Ejindu, architect
- Carla Gannis, artist
- Tula Giannini, musicologist, information scientist
- Eric Goldberg, film director and animator
- Charles Goslin, graphic designer
- Philip Guston, painter
- James Hannaham, writer
- Stephen Hilger, photographer
- Philip Johnson, architect
- Ralph Johonnot, taught color theory, decorative arts, and interior design (1909–1912), former head of the design department
- Peter Kayafas, photographer
- Sean Kelly, writer
- Josh Koury, filmmaker
- Manuel de Landa (adjunct), philosopher, artist
- Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, painter
- Jacob Lawrence, painter
- John Lehr, photographer
- Matthew Leifheit, photographer
- Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, architectural and art historian
- Sergio Rossetti Morosini, painter, sculptor
- Anna Moschovakis, poet, novelist, translator
- Mario Naves, art critic
- Toshio Odate, Japanese woodworker, sculptor
- Denis Peterson, painter
- Reeva Potoff, artist and educator
- Nick Relph, photographer and filmmaker, K–12 center instructor
- Carissa Rodriguez, photographer
- Carole Rosenthal, English and Humanities professor emeritus
- Carrie Schneider, photographer
- Nasser Sharify, father of international librarianship
- Matthew Sharpe, author
- Anna Shteynshleyger, photographer
- Eliza Swann (adjunct), artist, writer
- Mickalene Thomas, artist
- Milagros de la Torre, photographer
- Anne Turyn, photographer
- Charles Warner, architect
- Eva Zeisel, ceramic artist/designer
References
Further reading
- 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
- Pratt Institute power plant
External links
- Athletics website
- Pratt Institute—documentary produced by Treasures of New York