In collaboration with OU Landscape Services, first-year Environmental Design student Justin Jones is designing new planting beds on the east side of Gould Hall. This project ties into Jones’s Field Work course with Ron Frantz, director of the EnD Division.
Jones (left) with Torrey Redmon (center) and Joe Mars (right) from OU Landscape Services.
Inspired by his passion for plants and landscaping, Jones transferred to Gibbs College last semester to gain knowledge in the Landscape Architecture field and help him in his current role in OU’s Landscape Services. While Jones has only been in Gibbs College for a short period of time, he has already had a significant positive impact on the Gibbs community.
Jones with his planter bed designs.
“The landscape department is really striving to return campus to its former glory,” Jones said. “Many have told us how well-maintained grounds are therapeutic and help them relax. This is one of our main goals for the OU community.”
Jones planting in the new garden.
With this project, he hopes to improve the environment of Gould Hall and the surrounding OU campus and encourage interest in the LA program. While Jones has not taken any LA classes yet, the Historical Preservation course he took with Professor Frantz sparked his interest in the discipline. After he completes his undergraduate education, Jones hopes to continue his studies in the LA program.
Jones and OU Landscape Services planting in the new garden.
Make sure to check out the new planter beds outside of Gould Hall!
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
