Dr. C. Aujean Lee, an assistant professor of Regional + City Planning, was recently invited to speak at Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning’s speaker series. Dr. Lee shared about her experiences crafting a research project, applying for research funding, and the development of her article, “Engaging Non-Citizens in an Age of Uncertainty: Lessons from Immigrant-Serving Nonprofits in Los Angeles County,” in the Journal of the American Planning Association.
For the article, Dr. Lee used twenty-nine interviews with immigrant-serving nonprofits to identify unique challenges in serving non-citizen clients following the 2016 election. Dr. Lee was able to use the interviews to determine how planners can improve non-citizen engagement practices and redistribute political power. The interviews highlighted how non-citizens experience barriers to public services and spaces due to fear of deportation and abrupt changes in their citizenship status.
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.