Dean Asks Mather House To Help in Master Search

About 30 Mather House residents last night told Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 that they would like the College to find approachable, enthusiastic professors--preferably ones who could also cook well--when selecting replacements for the outgoing masters.

Co-Masters David J. and Patricia A. Herlihy, hailed by students last night as ideal masters, announced last week that they will leave Harvard at the end of the term to accept twin tenured positions at Brown.

Jewett this week held separate meeting with residents of Mather and Currier Houses, beginning the University's elaborate process to select new masters for the houses.

Currier Co-Masters Georgene B. and Dudley R. Herschbach announced earlier this winter that they will leave their mastership at the end of the spring term.

Mather residents last night were invited to suggest qualities they consider important in a house master and to propose specific candidates to Jewett and Thomas A. Dingman '67, assistant dean of the College for the house system. Jewett said the College will take student input into serious consideration.

The search committee hopes to have selected the Mather house masters by mid-spring, Jewett said.

For about 15 years, house masters have been selected by a search committee composed of University administrators, including the presidents of Harvard and Radcliffe, the dean of the College and the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Masters are traditionally chosen from among the tenured members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Jewett said, although occasionally professors from other faculties or senior administrators are selected.

Married candidates are often preferred, Jewett added, because co-masters provide "twice as much energy." In the selection process, a candidate's spouse is considered just as seriously as the faculty member, he said, calling a mastership " a job that a couple takes on as a team."

The committee relies on consultation with house residents, resident tutors, and house associates and fellows, in addition to suggestions from other house masters, tutors and associates. President Derek C. Bok has final say over master selection.

Three house students and two members of the Senior Common Room serve asrepresentatives on the search committee. JenniferY. Block '88, William C. Meyer '86, and Robert N.Walton '87 were selected as Mather's studentrepresentatives, and Senior Tutor Terry K. Shallerwill represent the Senior Common Room with John D.Montgomery, former chairman of the GovernmentDepartment and a house fellow.

After Jewett explained the selection processlast night, Mather students voiced their concernsabout the process, their impressions of thepersonal qualities that would be most suited totheir house and their regrets to see the currentmasters depart.

"Mather House is sort of removed," said GeraldH. Gamm '86. "We could conceivably be athird-choice house--but today we're a verydesirable house, largely because of the Herlihys.They make Mather such a fun community, and soappealing."

"It's especially important that we get masterswho create a sense of community in the house,"Gamm said. "Now, there's really a sense of beingone big happy family. Mather's a place you cancome home to."

Jewett warned the students not to hope to"duplicate the Herlihys exactly," but rather totry to match their best qualities while lookingfor other appealing attributes. "Don't try tothink of it in terms of reproduction," the deanadded.

"The most important thing about the Herlihyshas been their enthusiasm," said Block. "I thinkit would be a crime for a master to be aloof inany way."

"It's hard to know what makes the Herlihys suchgood masters," another student at the meetingsaid. "There's some elusive quality that you haveto keep in mind. They come to all our parties,they dance with us--both are just very involved,very concerned, and very open.