A team of Gibbs College of Architecture faculty, led by professor Somik Ghosh of the Haskell and Irene Lemon Construction Science Division, was recently awarded a $95,600 Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP) grant. HELP grants are sponsored by the National Housing Endowment of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Ghosh commented, “This grant from NAHB will help us build upon our efforts to educate students across the OU campus about the homebuilding industry and its opportunities.”
According to the National Housing Endowment (NHE), the purposes of the HELP grant program are two-fold:
The OU team, which also includes director of Construction Science and professor Ben Bigelow, professor Suchi Bhattacharjee (Interior Design), and instructor Bryan Bloom (Construction Science), will focus on a number of milestones over the four year period of the HELP grant.
For example, the team will work to create an undergraduate certificate program in entrepreneurship and housing, as well as provide additional education and experience in homebuilding for three faculty members.
The team will also engage OU students, public school students and Home Builders Association members through an annual Open House event related to homebuilding. Graduate student research projects that look at National Association of Homebuilders economics will also be funded, in part, through this grant.
Director Bigelow commented, “This grant is a great opportunity for OU to elevate what it does with housing, and particularly in educating the next small business owners in homebuilding, development, real estate, and design.”
For more information, please contact Somik Ghosh (somik.ghosh-1@ou.edu).
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.
