Non-Faculty Masters

Yale University broke with tradition last spring and appointed a man who is not a faculty member--John Hersey, the novelist--to be Master of Pierson College. From all accounts, the experiment has proved successful. Hersey has managed, in his own words, to "smuggle" some of the "goods of the artist" into the "kingdom of the teacher." As the HUC reported earlier this week, he has brought creativity and innovation to Yale's Colleges (the equivalent of Harvard's Houses), while avoiding the potential disadvantages of being a layman.

A University takes obvious risks in appointing a visitor from the "real world" as master of a House or College. The mastership is traditionally a link between faculty and students; a non-academic may merely widen the gap. His appointment could antagonize the faculty and make it more difficult to find masters in the future by convincing them that the university can always find acceptable men in the ranks of non-educators. Men of unique and outstanding ability like Hersey will not usually be willing to take on the responsibilities of running a dormitory. And the university might always pick a "dud."

But these risks, however dangerous in theory, are all liable to exception. The layman in an academic setting is free to provide certain shock values. "He has no reason to hide his astonishment," afford the easy steadfastness of one who does not want or need anything from an institution, least of all those terrifying velvet handcuffs known as tenure." The layman in academia can avoid faculty status ladders and protocol. He remains free to experiment and innovate.

Qualified faculty members are often reluctant to shoulder the burden of entertaining, counseling and administration which masterships entail. Men like Hersey, who can summon the power of the artist, reporter, and statesman into the kingdom of the teacher might pump a little new life into the House system. We hope that the University will consider appointing such men, perhaps on a one-year basis, when masterships open in the coming year. The idea is worthy of experiment.