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OU Institute for Quality Communities

@ou_iqc

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The Institute for Quality Communities is a community engagement center in the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.
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Please join us this Friday, and get reacquainted with Bizzell Library and its Invisible Man. Dr. Amber Wiley, Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, presents “Invisible Man: The Legacy of George W. McLaurin at the University of Oklahoma.” Bizzell Library LL118 on Friday, November 6th from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. Lecture sponsored by the Oklahoma City Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America, the Center for Mediterranean Archaeology and History, and the Department of Classics and Letters. by @ou_iqc
Hi EnD students — did you know that you can earn a professional master’s degree as an undergraduate student?!? Come hear more about it at the Environmental Design Accelerated Degree Showcase. Nov. 4, 12-1 lunch provided! by @ou_iqc
📣 SAVE THE DATE! Join us for the 2027 Placemaking Conference, hosted by the University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Quality Communities (IQC), on Monday, March 22, 2027, in Norman, Oklahoma! This biennial conference brings together students, designers, planners, community advocates, and civic leaders for a day of fresh ideas, inspiring speakers, and practical strategies for building vibrant, people-centered communities. 📅 Monday, March 22, 2027 🕘 9 a.m.–5 p.m. 📍 Catlett Music Center | Norman, Oklahoma ✨ NEW THIS YEAR: The IQC Experience! Keep the momentum going on Tuesday, March 23, 2027, with in-depth panel discussions, interactive engagement opportunities, and guided tours throughout downtown Norman. Discover practical tools, resources, and ideas you can bring back to your own community. 🎟️ Early-bird registration opens in November 2026! More details coming soon. Mark your calendar and plan to join us as we explore new ways to shape the future of our communities! https://www.ou.edu/gibbs/explore/iqc/conference/2027-conference #Placemaking #CommunityDevelopment #PublicSpaces #Oklahoma #OUArchitecture #IQC by @ou_iqc
We are almost halfway through the fall semester at the University of Oklahoma. Prof. Wiley’s Historic Preservation Planning course has been busy learning the basics of the field and doing a deep dive into the history of Summit, one of Oklahoma’s historic All-Black Towns. They are working with community partner Schuyler Carter and other descendants of Rev. L.W. Thomas to envision a future for the Thomas Homestead as a legacy campus. Thus far students have heard from guest lecturers including Carter — a direct Thomas descendant — Dr. Kalenda Eaton, an expert on Black homesteading in the Great Plains, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Lynda Ozan, Architecture Librarian Carl Siegel, and Western History Librarian Jackie Reese. Students visited the Special Research Collections at Bizzell Library, and a small group of IQC team members consisting of Wiley, Dr. Wei Liu, and graduate assistant Anahita Niknejad visited Summit for a pre-engagement site visit led by Thomas descendants Bonnie Carter and Cheryl Thomas. Every week brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to push the boundaries of preservation practice to be more innovative and relevant to the needs of a diverse body of community stewards. We cannot wait to see what the second half of the semester brings! by @ou_iqc
Earlier this month the Institute for Quality Communities was featured on the OETA’s Oklahoma News Report for its yearlong partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. The partnership investigated ways to improve living conditions and update facilities at the Ardmore, Claremore, and Sulphur veterans homes. Many thanks to Professors John Harris, Mia Kile, and Scott Greene for leading the charge with our OU students, who worked towards solutions to these complex real world projects. You can view the whole segment here: https://youtu.be/WdIy2g4564M by @ou_iqc
Get familiar with the OU IQC’s roster of emerging professionals! Swipe for the full bios of our all-star team of students and recent graduates. Afrah Faheem is a Research Intern at the University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Quality Communities. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and a Graduate Certificate in Resilient Planning, Design, and Construction from the University of Oklahoma. Afrah spent two years as a Graduate Assistant at IQC, contributing to community planning and design projects across Oklahoma, with work spanning placemaking, downtown revitalization, parks and trails, public spaces, safe streets, and community planning. In her current role, she conducts placemaking research and documents past IQC Community Assistance Projects across planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture. She also supports grant proposals, mapping, and public-facing content for the 2027 Placemaking Conference and IQC’s 20-year anniversary. Her interests lie at the intersection of landscape architecture, community planning, ecological systems, and public space. She is particularly interested in community planning and placemaking, with a focus on how design can strengthen local identity, improve everyday experiences, and support more vibrant neighborhoods. Her work also explores green infrastructure, habitat connectivity, resilient site design, and the role of parks and trails in creating environmentally responsive and accessible landscapes. Ruchi Khakurel is a first-year graduate student in the Regional and City Planning (RCPL) program at the University of Oklahoma. Originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, she holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and is passionate about community development, urban planning, and creating more resilient and inclusive places. With a background in architecture and experience working alongside local communities on planning and design initiatives, Ruchi has developed a strong appreciation for collaborative, community-centered approaches to shaping places. She believes that meaningful planning begins with listening to the people who know their communities best. Through her work with the Institute for Quality Com by @ou_iqc
Tune in tonight for the Oklahoma News Report at 7 pm to hear about the Institute for Quality Communities’ yearlong partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the conditions at three Oklahoma veterans homes — Ardmore, Claremore, and Sulphur. OU students will discuss the experience of working on these sites, and the personal and professional impact it has had. It was an honor and a privilege to work alongside our colleagues at ODVA for these important projects. For over 45 years, the Oklahoma News Report has delivered in-depth, statewide news you can trust, free from commercial influence, so you can stay informed and engaged on the issues that matter most to our communities. Watch it or stream it live Fridays at 7 pm: https://www.oeta.tv/shows/oklahoma-news-report/ by @ou_iqc
Get to know the OU IQC leadership! Swipe for the full bios of our all-star team. Amber Wiley is the Wick Cary Director of the Institute for Quality Communities and an Associate Professor of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma.   An award-winning scholar, Wiley has over 20 years of experience in teaching, research and professional practice in historic preservation, architecture and community engagement. She has dedicated her career to advancing the history and narrative of design and preservation in Black communities, as well as advocating for theoretically rigorous, thoughtful and inclusive expansions of preservation policy and practice. Wiley has held previous appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, Skidmore College, and Tulane University.   Her books include “Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum” and “Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital.” Wiley received her Ph.D. in American Studies from George Washington University. She also holds a Master’s in Architectural History and Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Virginia School of Architecture, and a B.A. in Architecture from Yale University. She is a native of Oklahoma City with roots in Washington, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, and Arkansas. Molly O’Connor is the Program Manager of the Institute for Quality Communities. A proud alumna of the University of Oklahoma, O’Connor earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3-D Design in 2001. With over two decades of experience in Oklahoma’s arts and cultural sector, she has dedicated her career to supporting creative community development across the state. Before joining OU IQC, Molly served as Director of Rural and Creative Community Outreach for the Oklahoma Arts Council, where she worked to connect artists, organizations, and rural communities through innovative programming and partnerships. A multidisciplinary artist, Molly’s practice combines storytelling, visual art, performance, and creative writing. In 2005, she founded OKC StorySLAM, a month by @ou_iqc
Allow us to reintroduce ourselves… As we head into Labor Day weekend, we would like to take a moment to introduce the academic year 26-27 OU Institute for Quality Communities team. We’ve got a few familiar faces and new ones as well. We are a multidisciplinary collection of professionals with deep and varied experiences across the fields of art, architecture, environmental design, urban design, community engagement and development, landscape architecture, regional and city planning, public policy, and historic preservation. We look forward to sharing more about each of our team members in the coming weeks. by @ou_iqc
🎉Thank you to everyone who joined us at our Back to School Bash today! We had great food and were glad to see so many making connections at our resource tables. A major thank you to our staff, faculty members, and supporters for making this happen! 🥳 by @ou_iqc
Happening now! Come and check out the IQC table at the Gibbs College student resource fair and be sure to grab a burger at the barbecue. by @ou_iqc
Behind the Scenes… First day of the fall semester and we are already moving and grooving here at the IQC. Stay tuned, story loading… by @ou_iqc

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