Professors of Interior Design Dr. Suchismita Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yeji Yi and graduate student Azra Fific presented at the I.D.E.A. symposium, hosted by OU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
This event was created to highlight inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (I.D.E.A.) across OU’s campus and within the local community. The symposium featured a variety of interactive workshops and presentations that explored the intersections of I.D.E.A. in higher education.
Dr. Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yi presented their teaching experience, “Universal Design in Architecture,” regarding how the built environment can be inclusively and universally designed to support diverse groups of people. Fific presented her project “Refugees and Placemaking: Healing Trauma Through Interior Design.” In her presentation, Fific investigated placemaking and interior design strategies to help the Afghan refugee community heal trauma and assimilate to Oklahoma City.
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.
