The 色色研究所 Climate Teach-In connects hundreds of students across
all three USF campuses in a joint effort to learn about sustainably, increase climate
education, and engage in dialogue about community well-being. The annual, student-run
initiative 鈥� supported by the Judy Genshaft Honors College 鈥� was recently recognized
with .
The honors universities that are innovating how higher education institutions engage
and educate students. Its Circle of Excellence and District awards highlight schools
that excel in areas such as alumni relations, communication, marketing, and publications.
The Honors College was recognized for excellence in the Special Events category for
District III, a region encompassing the Southeast United States.
An Event that Keeps Growing
Out of 842 submissions from universities across the region, the 2024 USF Climate Teach-In
was selected for its strong student engagement and its impactful work raising awareness
about how students can help drive environmental change. In 2024, the Climate Teach-In
was led by faculty in the Honors College and brought together 23 student organizations.
As of spring 2025, the event is entirely student-led, with students connecting even
more campus and student organizations for the upcoming year.
With new partnerships with the Patel College of Global Sustainability, USF World, USF Food Sovereignty Initiative, and other on-campus organizations, the USF Climate Teach-In is grounding its work
in every aspect of the university 鈥� from academics to community engagement and student
life. In the coming years, organizers plan to start Climate Teach-In student organizations
on the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses to build unified programming across
all three campuses.
Dr. Andrew Hargrove, professor of instruction at the Judy Genshaft Honors College and founder of Climate
Teach-In at USF, has enjoyed seeing students grow and eventually take over the project
last year.
"I love working with the students and seeing how excited they are and how many ideas
they bring into this space shows me there is a lot of potential for creative problem-solving
and developing a more sustainable future for us all,鈥� said Hargrove.
Katelynn Paciorek, co-president of the USF Climate Teach-In student organization and
a fourth-year Honors student, has witnessed the event鈥檚 impact on students from every
academic background 鈥� not just environmental science.
鈥淪o many students have been able to explore creative outlets through our art exhibits,
events with other student organizations, and helping plan our Climate Teach-In signature
events 鈥� and we鈥檙e excited to keep expanding that in 2026,鈥� Paciorek said.
Moving forward, the USF Climate Teach-In aims to encourage other higher education
institutions to support student-led sustainability efforts and unite the strengths
of their campuses under a shared cause.
鈥淲e are extremely grateful and proud to have earned this award,鈥� Hargrove said. 鈥淚t鈥檚
been inspiring to see the students build the teach-in into a university-wide annual
event that is now recognized as a model for other institutions.鈥�