As with most major Harvard appointments, the University president ultimately decides who will be the master of each of the College's residential domains.

But for all practical purposes, the process of appointing House masters is primarily the Dean of the College's responsibility. Harry R. Lewis '68, who has helped select five masters in the last three years, narrows down the choices using a House-based advisory committee and in consultation with other College administrators.

The search this spring to fill the positions being vacated by outgoing 26-year Adams House Master Robert J. Kiely '60 and Co-Master Jana Kiely--like Lowell and Leverett Houses last year and Cabot and Pforzheimer Houses the year before--followed the same general procedure.

Inevitably though, each search is influenced by many of the personalities involved--of the House, the students and tutors on the search committee, the candidates. Thus, while Lewis has composed a set of guidelines to direct the process each time a mastership becomes available, there are few hard and fast rules for evaluating master candidates.

Except for the fact that the candidates' identities are kept a secret throughout the period of consideration, no two searches are the same.

Making a Move

The decision to step down from the helm of a House is rarely one that masters take lightly. As was the case with the Kielys, masters often make initial plans to leave a House, only to postpone the decision for a number of years.

But when a master does make public his or her intention to vacate their masters' residence, it usually occurs in the fall--giving Lewis a window of a few months to begin composing an initial list of potential candidates.

Suggestions for candidates, Lewis says, come from a number of sources: students, outgoing masters, Faculty members, other administrators, and, frequently, candidate pools from past searches.