Toliver’s Role at Breck

As you may have already heard, Justin Toliver, also known as Toliver, is the new Dean of Leadership at Breck. What really is the role of this new Dean? Toliver explains that this job is important not just for the title, but also to teach students about the different parts of leadership and to add that aspect of leadership into daily life at Breck.
One of Toliver’s top priorities for this year is to add intention and leadership components to how Breck sends students to Community Partnerships. He explains that usually, people just go to their CPs without really thinking about it, especially freshmen. They just get the information about it and go. However, Toliver wants to make sure that people are going to their CPs with intention and that they are able to think about what they are doing.
This year, the Breck freshman students had two weeks of orientation for CP, not just one, and through that, they learned about how to properly engage while there, and how to approach CP. They also learned about the difference between saviorism vs solidarity; saviorism refers to the mindset that positions one group of people as a savior of another group of people. The freshmen learned that it leads to a dynamic when a “savior” believes they know what’s best for the other group and acts on their behalf, typically without consulting those they are trying to “help.” This approach can create power imbalances and ignore the abilities and voices of communities. Solidarity refers to working alongside groups and sharing power, leading to mutual support and equality. It recognizes that each unique individual has something to contribute, and it values collaboration rather than domination, instead of imposing solutions from a place of privilege. This is how we are encouraged to show up to every CP.
Another top priority of the Dean of Leadership is to give more “voice and choice when it comes to leadership inside of the classroom.” One thing that will make this happen is when juniors will get the choice to either go to established CPs or to do something else that will help them to explore different leadership aspects. In other words, he wants to give students the chance to learn about leadership through other topics.
One thing that Toliver says he would love to see as a culture change at Breck is people getting up to speak about something, like a club, and not feeling the need to be perfect, to read pre-written notes on their phones. He thinks that it would be great if students could get up there, and instead of reading a script, they should speak from their experiences, because that really is what people want to hear. He says that this is an example of a leadership opportunity, and it is a skill that will help you grow your leadership for college and beyond.
When asked to give one piece of advice to the Breck students, Toliver says that life is not only about perfection. He advises that when reflecting on an assignment or such, you should pay attention not only to if it was perfect, but instead ask yourself how you can improve, what you can do differently next time, and remind yourself that it is ok to be imperfect. Toliver says that this is a skill that has taken him time to work on, as well as encouragement from mentors and peers over the years.