The Gibbs Design Activism Awards (GDAA) is a new grant initiative that supports student-led design and research projects that critically engage topics of community, social, and economic concern within the built environment—at Gibbs College, on the University of Oklahoma (OU) Campus, and across Oklahoma. The GDAA is consistent with OU’s Lead On Plan to advance principles of equity, diversity, and belonging specifically articulated in Pillars 4 and 5. The GDAA was made possible with support from the OU Institute for Community and Society Transformation and the Institute for Quality Communities.
Student projects can address economic, social, cultural and public health challenges and problems which manifest in physical space and the built environment. Proposals that address underrepresented and underserved groups and communities in the design fields are especially welcome.
Awards range from $1,500-$8,000. Number of awarded projects depends on applications. Applicants may apply for awards up to $8,000. There will be two information sessions – March 28, at noon in the Gould Hall Buskuhl Gallery, and April 11, at noon on Zoom.
The GDAA supports proposals in three categories – community connections, special events and exhibits, and curricular interventions. All applications must list a Gibbs College faculty sponsor.
*****GDAA DEADLINE EXTENSION*****
The deadline for submissions to the Gibbs Design Activism Awards has been extended to Friday, April 29 at 6pm.
For more information on how to apply, contact faculty organizer Dr. Wanda Katja Liebermann [wkliebermann@ou.edu].
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
