Vicki VanStavern, Department of Design
Vicki VanStavern, Oklahoma City interior designer, graduated from UCO in 1983 with a degree in Interior Design. She earned her master’s degree from UCO a year later.

In 1984 she started her own design firm, VanStavern Design Group, Inc., which continues to thrive. Her firm’s work can be seen in several places locally including the Oklahoma City Art Museum and the OKC Zoo’s restaurant "The Canopy." VanStavern’s firm also designs broadcast facilities for television stations across the nation. She is also the President-elect of the International Interior Design Association.

In 2002, VanStavern received the Department of Design’s first "Outstanding Contribution to Design Award".

The award was in recognition of her professional accomplishments and her efforts to better UCO’s Interior Design program.

She volunteered to help the department reorganize its Interior Design program, and now serves on the department’s advisory board for the revised Interior Design graduate and undergraduate programs at UCO.

"My education at UCO gave me much more than an occupation, it opened my eyes to a whole new way of seeing the world," said VanStavern.

She plans to stay involved with the program at UCO because she believes proper education is the key to responsible design.

VanStavern adds that most states license interior designers, requiring them to meet fixed education criteria, pass a certification exam and participate in continuing education programs.

"But Oklahoma doesn’t license interior designers; so many people confuse designers with decorators. Clients, especially those who own public places, need to know that their designers are qualified to develop a safe design for their buildings."

Her hope is that UCO’s Department of Design continues to "raise the bar" for interior design education in the state.

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Page updated 6/03/04