Mickey Muennig (1935–2021) was an American architect celebrated for his organic, site-sensitive buildings that have helped define the built character of Big Sur, California. On June 1, 2025, a group representing the University of Oklahoma’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture joined designers, builders, photographers, and curators on an in-depth tour of Mickey Muennig’s work in Big Sur.
A group of 21 undergraduate Architecture students from the Gibbs College of Architecture recently embarked on a weeklong field trip to New York City. Accompanied by Professors Amber Brown, Paolo Sanza, and Francesco Cianfarani, the students immersed themselves in the vibrant architectural culture of Manhattan and Brooklyn, visiting landmark sites and award-winning design firms.
This semester, a graduate architecture design studio led by Prof. Amy Leveno, AIA, took an educational trip to Houston, focusing on architectural spaces designed for art and art creation. The trip provided the graduate students with an invaluable opportunity to see firsthand some of the most innovative architectural projects and firms in action.
The 2025 Charles W. Graham Travel Study Gala was a record-breaking success, with over $75,000 raised. The proceeds from this event directly benefit students who are eager to travel and gain hands-on learning experiences.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities recently hosted a Route 66 Placemaking Retreat in collaboration with the OU Arts and Humanities Forum. The retreat was funded by an Oklahoma Humanities “Community Discussions” grant that an interdisciplinary OU team received in November. This retreat built upon the team’s site visits and community discussions in several historic towns along Route 66.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Gala will be held on February 23, 2024, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 – click here for parking information). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings. Individual tickets are $200. All proceeds support student travel study scholarships and opportunities.
During summer 2023, the fourth annual Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference was convened at St. Monica’s Vocational School in Gulu, Uganda. The conference was organized by OU’s Center for Peace and Development and St. Monica’s as well as 10 other grassroots women’s organizations. The conference also received support from a gift by the Gibbs College of Architecture.
This summer, Master of Landscape Architecture students Emma Christ and Rajith Kumar Kedarisetty traveled to Italy as part of the OU study abroad program Landscapes of Italy. This program explores major themes in environmental conservation through the lens of the Mediterranean, past and present.
A group of 30 undergraduate and graduate Architecture students recently traveled to Arkansas for a two-day field trip. Accompanied by Professors Amy Leveno, Amber Sarmiento and Alan Moring, the students toured an award-winning Architecture studio and visited various architectural sites in Bentonville and Fayetteville.
Twelve Gibbs students recently traveled to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona for a travel study course led by Interior Design Professor Mia Kile. Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio in the desert and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark.
Gibbs College Dean Hans Butzer and Karen Renfroe of the OU Foundation recently sat down with architecture alumnus Raymond Harris to learn more about his successful career along with his business and mentorship activities in retirement.
On April 6, third-year Construction Science, Architecture and Interior Design students travelled to Dallas for an interdisciplinary field trip. The students got to learn from industry professionals and gain hands on experience at a construction job site and architecture office.
The 2023 Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner was a huge success, with about 200 attendees and over $34,000 raised. The 11th annual event was held Friday, February 11, at Vast restaurant in Oklahoma City. The proceeds from this event directly benefit students who are eager to travel and gain hands on learning experiences.
A collaborative project between the University of Oklahoma and the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano in Peru (UNAP) was recently awarded a grant to investigate affordable and sustainable housing in the Andes. The project, “Inti Wasi Sustainable and Affordable Cold Climate Housing,” received funding from the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund.
A team of Gibbs students recently traveled to Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic, for the 2022 Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region-8 Student Competition. The group was paired with three other students from Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom for the international event.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner will be held on February 10, 2023, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings.
Seniors in the University of Oklahoma Interior Design program recently travelled to Dallas to visit multiple design firms, projects, and showrooms. The two-day trip consisted of several stops allowing students to connect with several Dallas Interior Design professionals and program alumni, see multiple active design projects, and tour both showrooms and firms.
Thirty-eight architecture undergraduate and graduate students recently took a two-day field trip to Bentonville, Arkansas and Wichita, Kansas. The students visited multiple architecture offices and firms as well as toured the Crystal Bridges Museum and Exploration Place.
Architecture Professor Dave Boeck will be traveling to Arezzo, Italy, to teach a study abroad program at the University of Oklahoma’s Italian study center. He will teach at OU’s Arezzo campus for the last eight weeks of the Fall 2022 semester, and throughout the entire Fall 2023 semester.
Several Gibbs College Architecture and Interior Design students have been spending the semester living and learning in Rome. The students’ coursework is tailored to both take advantage of Rome’s great sites as well as meet the curricular needs of students. Some have recently shared some of the moments of discovery they have experienced during their time in Rome and Europe.
