Congratulations to the OU faculty and alumna recently selected to receive American Institute of Architects (AIA) Oklahoma Honor Awards! The awards will be formally presented at the 2018 AIA Conference on Architecture on Nov. 9.
Urban Design Director Shawn Schaefer won the 2018 AIA Oklahoma Community Service Award. Schaefer has “been relentless in uniting his students’ enthusiasm for engaging real-world projects with diverse communities who benefit from the UDS program’s unique focus on participatory design,” notes Hans E. Butzer, the Dean of the Gibbs College of Architecture. Schaefer’s work has made real, lasting impacts on the City of Tulsa and the State of Oklahoma as a whole.
Architecture Professor Marjorie Callahan won the 2018 AIA Oklahoma Outstanding Educational Contributions Award. Callahan, among other professional accomplishments, has earned four Diplomacy Lab partnerships through the U.S. Department of State. She is tirelessly devoted to student success and has a “selfless approach to saying ‘yes’ ” shares Dean Butzer.
Alumna Beth Windel of SDG Architects earned the 2018 AIA Oklahoma Young Professional Achievement Award. Windel graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.Arch degree in 2003 and established SDG Architects in 2009. In 2015, Windel became the first female architect appointed to the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects, and Registered Interior Designers. Windel also serves on the Professional Advisory Board at the Gibbs College of Architecture and has helped raise over $75,000 in support of student travel study programs.
Featured Image: from left to right, Shawn Schaefer, Marjorie Callahan, and Beth Windel
During the Spring 2026 semester, students in Interior Design Studio IV and Graduate Studio IV gained hands-on experience in educational facility design through a semester-long partnership with MA+ Architecture.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Dr. Tammy McCuen, Robert E. Busch Professor of Construction Science, on beginning her term as president of the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC), an international organization dedicated to advancing construction education through teaching, research and service.
Following years of contributions to the College’s research and strategic initiatives, Gibbs College shares that Associate Dean for Research and External Engagement Angela M. Person, PhD, will step down from her position at Gibbs College as she moves to Tucson with her family, effective June 30, 2026.
