The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture places a unique emphasis on community engagement through its practice-oriented, teaching-first framework. These efforts define our success in five key areas, which are threaded throughout our students’ work and community connections: Arts & Culture, Development, Education, Health and Social Equity. These themes reflect the ethical and sustainable lenses through which our students apply their knowledge. Their successes are measured through stories that unfold in places as diverse as Muskogee, Oklahoma; Italy; and Uganda.
The Institute for Quality Communities is a community engagement program in the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture. IQC partners with Oklahoma communities to address local challenges, and brings best practices to Oklahomans through the biennial Placemaking Conference.
Gibbs College is also home to the “Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA)” which allows students to propose a student-led project that critically engages topics of community, social and economic concern within the built environment.
Below are some highlights from recent community engagement efforts. Additional examples can be found on the news page. For more information about recent and upcoming projects, contact Angela Person (a@ou.edu).
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
Students from the Spring 2026 Graduate 4 Architecture Design Studio, led by Professor Amy Leveno, exhibited their work at the School of Visual Arts. The exhibition, titled Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts, featured drawings, models, and animations developed throughout the semester's studio project. The show was hosted in The Spotlight, a creative gallery space located on the first floor of the Fred Jones Art Center, and ran from January 20–30, 2026.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
