Gibbs College of Architecture proudly announces the successful re-accreditation of its Interior Design program by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).
Over a period of six months, Interior Design faculty collaborated to craft a comprehensive 68-page report and corresponding student exhibit for CIDA’s assessment visit. The in-depth document and exhibit showcased the curriculum, assignments, facilities and remarkable student work that make up the program.
Examples of student work presented during the assessment visit.
The five-day campus visit by CIDA representatives – distinguished faculty from peer institutions and seasoned interior design professionals – involved examination and in-depth interviews with faculty and students from various year levels. CIDA particularly praised the program for outstanding construction documents and detailing. Spanning the broad spectrum of 16 educational standards, the program excelled in 123 of the individual 128 criteria evaluated by CIDA.
Accreditation assessment materials in the Buskuhl Gallery in Gould Hall.
“Our exceptional Interior Design faculty, under the leadership of Director Elizabeth Pober, earned this accreditation milestone from CIDA. Pober’s organizational skills were on full display throughout their preparation for CIDA’s recent team visit,” said Dean Hans Butzer. “The diverse collection of students who chose to join our Interior Design program demonstrated its high level of talent, dedication, and quality of work.”
Accreditation assessment materials in the Buskuhl Gallery in Gould Hall.
Elizabeth Pober, director of the Interior Design Division, also applauded the efforts of faculty and students. “I am very proud of our Interior Design faculty and students, who all contributed to this important achievement for our program. The faculty worked closely together for over six months to prepare the comprehensive report and exhibit for the accreditation visit. We were excited to share the amazing work of our students and are thrilled by the CIDA accreditation team’s acknowledgment of the outstanding quality of our Interior Design program.”
Congratulations to the Division of Interior Design on the well-earned reaccreditation!
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2025 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
On November 21, 2025, the Mainsite Contemporary Art gallery was transformed into a showcase of innovation and craftsmanship for the University of Oklahoma’s furniture design build studio exhibition, “Purpose in Form.”
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
