Professor Keith Gåddie to Retire from the University of Oklahoma

Professor Keith Gåddie, Ph.D., Executive Faculty Fellow and interim Associate Dean of the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, has announced his retirement from the university, effective July 2023.

Gåddie is an award-winning political scientist, author and thought leader who began his tenure at the University of Oklahoma in fall 1996. He has taught over 30 different courses in three colleges and across two campuses, a reflection of his intellectual depth and agility. From his academic home in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, Gåddie developed courses and writings which explore American democracy, Southern politics and voting rights. He transitioned to the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication and subsequently to the Gibbs College of Architecture, following his explorations of the Supreme Court and democratic space, and Confederate monuments, memorials and meaning, among other related topics.

“Dr. Gåddie understands that the planning, design and construction of resilient and equitable cities, towns and landscapes across the globe is based on values and ideals,” affirmed Gibbs College Dean Hans E. Butzer, FAIA. “He contextualizes the expertise developed through our professionally accredited curricula for our students. It is through his perspectives on democratic space and its form that our graduates better understand how their work may foster stronger social relationships and mutual understanding in the communities they serve.”

Gåddie has authored or co-authored 15 books, dozens of book chapters and innumerable articles, monographs and amici. He has provided expert testimony in over 10 court cases and consulted in dozens of other legal proceedings. His books include Regulating Wetlands Protection: Environmental Federalism and the States (2000), Politics in America (12 editions) and The U.S. Supreme Court’s Democratic Spaces (2021) with Jocelyn J. Evans. Awards for his publications include the V. O. Key Jr. Award for the outstanding book on Southern Politics on two occasions (2018, 2011), the Julian J. Rothbaum Award for the outstanding book published by the University of Oklahoma Press (2009) and the Jewell Prestage Award, for the Best Paper on Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Political Behavior, also on two occasions (2003, 2018).

“Keith Gåddie’s career at OU has been nothing short of remarkable,” said David M. Wrobel, Dean of the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. “He arrived in Norman in 1996 as an assistant professor; 7 years later he had been promoted to full professor. His scholarly output over the last quarter century has been voluminous and highly influential for political scientists, historians, journalists and scholars of the built environment, and should be read by everyone who cares about the protection, expansion and celebration of democracy. Professor Gåddie’s career at OU, and in academia more broadly, exemplifies the positive impact that a dedicated research scholar, teacher, mentor and creative thinker can have on public policy and on the life of a university.”

Gåddie’s impact on the University of Oklahoma has been evident through myriad service roles in support of presidents, provosts, faculty, staff and students. Most significantly, he advised the Office of the President in his role of Executive Faculty Fellow since 2017.

“The University of Oklahoma is grateful for the longtime service of Dr. Keith Gåddie, who has been a transformative figure at OU as an educator, scholar and leader,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Through his many contributions, he has helped to elevate our standard of academic excellence and enhance the student experience, and he leaves a lasting impression upon our university. Both at OU and well beyond, his expertise in the field of political science and its intersection with built spaces is advancing our understanding of ourselves as individuals and as a society. I know he will further this remarkable work in his new position, and we wish him continued success.”

Gåddie has been named the inaugural holder of the Al and Dawn Hoffman Chair of the American Ideal, a newly endowed position at Texas Christian University. Gåddie will assume the chair in fall 2023.