U of T invests in student leadership with Sustainability Pathways program expansion and new awards
Launch of Leader tier aims to recognize the next generation of sustainability leaders
Published: October 27, 2025
The University of Toronto is expanding sustainability education with a new program offering that gives undergraduate students across the three campuses the opportunity to take their leadership skills to the next level – with $40,000 in annual prizes.
Launched today, U of T is introducing the new Leader tier of the Sustainability Pathways program, designed to empower students to showcase their leadership skills, deepen their community involvement and contribute to a more sustainable future.
It’s the latest concrete step the world’s most sustainable university is taking to advance sustainability, both on campus and beyond, and furthers the university’s long-standing tradition of recognizing outstanding student leadership.
“The Leader tier will add an important new dimension to the Sustainability Pathways program and enrich the student experience at U of T,” says Timothy Chan, associate vice-president and vice-provost, strategic initiatives and co-chair of the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS), which developed the program. “This expansion is a tangible investment by the university to cultivate student leadership, recognizing and supporting the next generation of sustainability leaders.”
Comprised of three tiers – Citizen, Scholar and now Leader – the Sustainability Pathways program integrates sustainability courses, co-curricular activities, and culminating demonstration of leadership in action to embed sustainability across all undergraduate studies. The innovative program was shortlisted for a global education prize last year.
Through an application review, the Leader designation will be awarded to students who will have completed the previous two tiers by the end of the academic year. Students who apply must meet criteria set out by CECCS and have at least 40 hours of leadership experience making a positive difference on a sustainability challenge within a specific community.
Each year, the top 20 students who complete the Leader tier will be chosen by a panel to receive $2,000 prizes as part of the new Sustainability Pathways Awards, sponsored by the Lawson Climate Institute.
The institute was established earlier this year by a $60-million donation from Brian Lawson and Johannah Lawson, the largest gift to a Canadian university in support of climate change solutions.
For students like Nicole Stochmal, the launch of Sustainability Leader is welcome news. The fourth-year environmental science and psychology student is eager to apply the skills and knowledge she developed in both the Citizen and Scholar tiers to further her leadership expertise.
“The Sustainability Pathways program has been foundational in broadening my perspective of sustainability,” says Stochmal. “I’m excited for the Sustainability Leader tier because it celebrates students who are actively creating change. For me, it’s also a way to connect what I’ve learned at U of T with real-world leadership experiences that will continue to shape my professional path in environmental research and advocacy.”
Applications for the Leader tier designation close on June 30, 2026.