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The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the successful re-accreditation of the Division of Architecture degree programs. Gibbs College’s Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture programs met 100% of the National Architectural Accrediting Board’s program and student criteria.
In spring 2023, an NAAB team of academia experts and Architecture professionals met with Gibbs faculty, staff, students and alumni to review course materials and student work. The team was responsible for ensuring that the curriculum and student learning outcomes of Gibbs College met the rigorous national standards for Architecture programs.
“Maintaining accreditation status is a foundational goal for the OU Architecture program. It’s from that basis that our faculty and students can then shift their focus to the aspirational opportunities shaped by the tenets of the American School,” said Dean Hans Butzer. “Through the rigors of our most recent re-accreditation process, our faculty proved the effectiveness of their pedagogical approach founded in resourcefulness, contextualism and an entrepreneurial spirit.”
After thorough review, the NAAB team found that the Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture programs met these standards. Specifically, the team praised the Division of Architecture for three areas met with high distinction:
“The programs exhibited a visible excellency in its understanding, as well as its application, of Learning and Teaching Culture. Evident to the team throughout the visit was the existence of a deep-rooted positive culture that encouraged leadership, responsibility and the transfer of knowledge. This culture was shared amongst faculty, staff and students across years and degree programs.”
“The B.Arch. and M.Arch. programs’ commitment to this particular student criterion is exemplary. In particular, this sentiment is echoed by local practitioners with whom the B.Arch. students worked during their fourth-year Cooperative Education program. Studio and coursework demonstrate the students’ understanding of the role of technical expertise in the built environment and is evidenced by the impressive student work and assignments in ARCH4723/5723: Methods VII—Advanced Systems, ARCH 4756: Design VII—Systems and Context, ARCH 5536: Graduate Architectural Design III and ARCH 5546: Graduate Architectural Design IV.”
“The B.Arch. and M.Arch. Programs’ commitment to this particular student criterion is exemplary. In particular, the legacy of the American School and its strong commitment to material resourcefulness, experimentation, and sustainability and how those characteristics translate into students’ understanding of this criterion is quite evident in the student work. Like SC.4, the impressive studio and coursework for SC.6 in ARCH 4723/5723, ARCH 4756, ARCH 5536 and ARCH 5546 have clearly indicated the students’ understanding of how the integration of structural systems, building systems, performance-based design, environmental systems and technologies.”
Stephanie Pilat, director of the Division of Architecture, applauded the collaborative efforts by faculty to continuously review the curriculum and ensure that OU is establishing higher aspirations for student learning. “Together our faculty work tirelessly to ensure that our program educates generations of architects who are innovative and resourceful problem solvers,” said Pilat.
Architecture faculty Dan Butko, Marjorie Callahan, Tony Cricchio and Wanda Liebermann led curriculum review teams to evaluate each area of Gibbs College’s teaching prior to the NAAB visit. Professors of Architecture Andrés Cavieres and Francesco Cianfarani assisted as Curriculum Committee co-chairs.
“The work of our students demonstrated a level of comprehensiveness achieved by only a select few programs in the entire United States, a point highlighted by the visiting accreditation team,” said Butzer. “Now, we return our focus to fulfilling the ambitions of the Lead On plan and advancing the future potential of the American School of Architecture.”
Congratulations to the Division of Architecture on the well-earned re-accreditation!
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
