By William Brown
When Dr. Gervan Fearon started his new job, the first thing he did was meet with students.
It’s what George Brown College’s new president is looking forward to most. Starting. Getting his feet on the ground. Meeting and connecting with the people around the college, from students to faculty to donors.
“Post-secondary institutions can play a really vital role in community building and engagement,” said Fearon, who began his tenure as GBC president last week. “Educational institutions really touch on all the key components of what I would call a healthy society and healthy communities.”
In a half-hour conversation with the Dialog earlier this week, Fearon made a point to emphasize the importance of GBC’s community and its relationship to the city of Toronto. He sees his move to GBC as a homecoming of sorts. Born in the UK, his family spent time in Jamacia before settling in Toronto, where he grew connected to the city, its culture, and its community.
And it’s clear that, as he takes on GBC’s highest-profile job, he sees the college as no small contributor to that community. Part of what drew him to the college, he says, was its foothold in Toronto’s community and industries. He doesn’t want GBC to be just a place for students to obtain diplomas and certificates – it should be a key influencer in Toronto’s professional environment.
This focus on community-building is a part of Fearon’s reputation which precedes him. It was highlighted by Noah Nickel, the Brock Press editor-in-chief who covered his tenure as president of Brock University, when the Dialog spoke with him in May and was reinforced by the university’s farewell message, which effusively praised his friendliness and “grounded approach to leadership”.
“In many respects, the best part of the role [as president] is really celebrating the success of others and the contributions of others,” said Fearon. “So whether it’s somebody doing some work in applied research or is an outstanding instructor or an alumnus that has gone on to do an amazing thing in their profession… you’re often celebrating and promoting all the incredible work done by those individuals.”
Fearon’s no stranger to this job title. In addition to his time at Brock University, he was president of Brandon University in Manitoba. But in making this move to GBC, he says he’s coming to a college which is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the city’s professional infrastructure.
“George Brown College is special in both the Ontario setting and maybe even in the Canadian setting,” he said. “I recognize that Toronto is at an interesting juncture in terms of the role that talent, that building an inclusive educational system has on the texture of Toronto into the future.”
Building inclusive educational systems is another topic about which Fearon says more discussion is needed. Fearon was quick to praise the efforts the college has gone to over the past 18 months in providing students and staff an equitable academic atmosphere, but he did acknowledge more work needs to be done.
Fearon was Canada’s first Black university president and, in taking the GBC job, became the first Black president of a GTA-based university or college. He says his lived experiences will aid his understanding of the challenges and contexts students face.
“It’s that sense of belonging that’s so important,” said Fearon. “Connectedness to the college is ironically one of the major indicators of success.”
“It was heartening to note that [during the conversations that led to his appointment] these issues – anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigenous engagement – all of those considerations were definitely represented as fundamental to both the success of a new president but the success of the college.”
Continuing the college’s efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion is representative of Fearon’s wider strategy in approaching this role. He likens his appointment to the handover of a baton in a track race. He won’t be making sweeping changes for the sake of stamping his imprint on the college, rather he recognizes the progress the college has made over the past 20 years and wants to help it continue to grow.
“If someone thinks about putting up a new building,” he said, analogizing his appointment to construction. “You automatically have to start thinking 30, 40, 50 years on. What this means is the college will exist and extend way beyond my tenure.”
“In some senses, I am in partnership with every single previous president and every single person that’s ever been employed by the college.”
Perhaps to some, taking over from someone like Anne Sado, whose 17 years as president of GBC oversaw a meteoric rise for the school’s size and reputation, would be daunting. But Fearon sees it as a ‘continuum’ and insists that while he’s accepting the baton from Sado, the college itself is still running the same race.
“As a college president, one gets to build a platform and then somebody else takes off from that platform to be able to support the college in getting into another level,” said Fearon. “At some point in the future, [someone else] will be taking that baton and trying to take it to the next leg where we further serve our students, further serve our employees.”
As for how he can measure the success of the college, Fearon outlined three main indicators. The success of GBC students, the progress of its applied research and community engagement, and the college’s reputation within Toronto and across Canada.
“When someone says George Brown College, what are those top-of-mind items that pop up?” he asks – a rhetorical question to which he provides an answer.
“It’s an urban college, it’s a downtown college. It contributes to building great communities and contributes to a vibrant economy. It is part of the dialogue on the future of the city and the future of the region and the future of Canada.”
That’s the long term. In the short term, Fearon is simply looking to get started. In a busy fortnight of meetings and introductions, Fearon is becoming acquainted with the staff and student landscape at the college. The ball is rolling now, but, with the fall semester quickly approaching, the work has only just begun.
