Associate Professor of Interior Design Mia Kile received the Award for Excellence in Transdisciplinary, Convergent Research, which recognizes excellence in leadership in the creation of collaborative teams of recent faculty projects. Professor Kile and her team also received the Annual Award for Excellence in Research Grants, for acquiring over $1,000,000 in grants in 2022.
Mia Kile is one of the leaders of the Happy Teacher Wellness Intervention Team, which is a four-year research project being conducted by an interdisciplinary team of OU researchers. Funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the team will take a holistic view of physical, psychological and professional well-being, as well as the impact of workplace conditions, for Head Start teachers in Oklahoma.
Elizabeth Pober, the Director of the Division of Interior Design, spoke about Mia Kile and her work: “Mia has dedicated numerous hours towards her research impacting local communities and educators. This award recognizes the significant contributions she has made and will continue to make in the future.”
Congratulations to Professor Kile for these well-deserved awards!
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.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
