Vanessa Morrison, the Associate Director of the OU Institute for Quality Communities and co-founder of Open Design Collective, recently authored a column in The Oklahoman titled “Let’s celebrate everyday, unseen roles Black women play in Oklahoma communities.”
Vanessa discusses the vital roles that Black women often play without garnering recognition or attention. She writes, “Black women continuously work to restore and uplift our community even in the absence of the resources to do this intentional work. Collectively, Black women tirelessly serve our community to solve many of the challenges we face, and it is because of the wildly visionary capabilities of the Black women who’ve come before us, and the ones who now stand beside us, that many of us are driven to be achievers today.”
She calls on readers to celebrate the everyday roles that Black women play – ones that might go unseen but are incredibly impactful to the community. She mentions hair stylists and chosen big sisters as just some of those unseen roles that help support her and the community. Vanessa recognizes the Black women that came before her, writing, “We carry these women in our spirit and lean on them to guide us, not only in the work we do, but in the life that we live.”
Read the entire article on The Oklahoman's website.
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.
Gibbs Construction Science and Architecture students recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to compete in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 8 Student Competition. The team partnered with Czech Technical University and secured third place in the Design-Build category.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2026 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
