PCGS students outside the Tampa International Airport with Eric Caplan
On January 27, students enrolled in the ESG course at the USF Patel College of Global Sustainability (PCGS) stepped outside the classroom and into one of the region鈥檚 most complex infrastructure systems: Tampa International Airport (TPA). The field trip marked the first site visit of the semester and offered students a firsthand look at how sustainability and resilience strategies are embedded into real-world planning, operations, and long-term decision-making.
Led by PCGS faculty member and Director of the Business Concentration, Dr. Pradeep Haldar, and the Sustainability & Resilience Program Director at TPA, Eric Caplan, the visit is part of a long-standing academic partnership between USF and Tampa International Airport that has now spanned nearly five years. Each semester, the collaboration brings students into direct contact with airport leadership to explore sustainability challenges that go far beyond theory.
鈥淭his is not hypothetical work,鈥 Dr. Haldar explained during the visit. 鈥淭he airport defines real projects they are interested in, and students work on them as consultants-in-training.鈥
From Classroom to Consultant-in-Training
The experience is intentionally designed to mirror professional practice. At the beginning of the semester, students present their initial ideas and frameworks to airport leadership. By the end of the term, they return with a final presentation complete with data-driven recommendations tailored to the airport鈥檚 operational and sustainability goals.
For Eric Caplan, Sustainability & Resilience Officer at Tampa International Airport, the value of the partnership runs both ways.
鈥淲e get something out of this, too. Students bring fresh perspectives to topics we want to explore, such as EV infrastructure, lighting, and solar feasibility, but may not have formally budgeted for yet. In many cases, their work helps us take the next step.鈥
Eric Caplan
Sustainability & Resilience Program Director at Tampa International Airport
鈥淲e get something out of this, too,鈥 Caplan shared. 鈥淪tudents bring fresh perspectives to topics we want to explore, such as EV infrastructure, lighting, and solar feasibility, but may not have formally budgeted for yet. In many cases, their work helps us take the next step.鈥
Past student projects have informed real airport initiatives, including energy-efficient lighting assessments, electric vehicle charging strategies, and early-stage solar analyses. Some concepts developed in class have even progressed to consultant-led implementation studies.
PCGS students inside Tampa INternational Airport
Seeing Sustainability Behind the Scenes
During the tour, Caplan guided students through areas typically unseen by the public, connecting sustainability goals to airport master planning, design, and development decisions. Students learned how ESG considerations鈥攆rom emissions reduction to resilience planning鈥攁re integrated into a facility that serves tens of millions of passengers each year.
Caplan emphasized that sustainability at TPA is closely tied to planning and development, offering students insight into how environmental priorities intersect with business operations, reporting, and long-term infrastructure investments.
Students discussing sustainability at the airport
Building Skills, Networks, and Career Pathways
Beyond technical knowledge, the field trip underscored one of PCGS鈥檚 core commitments: preparing students for careers through meaningful industry engagement. Dr. Haldar highlighted the importance of networking, communication, and professional presence鈥攕kills that are cultivated through repeated presentations and interactions with practitioners in the field.
Over the years, this partnership has helped open doors for students, with several alumni securing jobs or consulting opportunities as a direct result of their airport presentations. 鈥淓ven if we鈥檙e not hiring,鈥 Caplan noted, 鈥渨e know people who are. Those connections matter.鈥
Students walking through the Tampa International Airport
Education with Real Impact
As the first of several field experiences planned for the semester, the Tampa International Airport visit set the tone for an applied, career-focused learning journey. It reinforced what makes the Patel College experience distinctive: students don鈥檛 just study sustainability; they practice it alongside professionals who are shaping the region鈥檚 future.
For PCGS students, the message was clear: sustainability leadership happens where policy, planning, and people intersect鈥攁nd sometimes, it starts behind the scenes at an airport.