Despite Harvard's particular institutional pride in the diversity of its student body, in the roughly 75 years that the House system has been in place, Harvard has only had two non-white House masters.

In the same decades that Harvard admissions officers have flown all over the United States to attract students from a spectrum of backgrounds, only two professors of color have been the leader of a House-the residential and academic communities central to the College experience.

As the student body has become more racially and ethnically varied, House Masters have stayed, for the most part, white.

Karel and Hetty Liem of Dunster House have been the only masters of color since their appointment in 1988, and when they step down at the end of this year, they will probably leave behind a set of 12 white residential House Masters.

At a meeting with student leaders at the Foundation several weeks ago, Liem said he was disappointed that the administration did not seem to be making many efforts to pursue the appointment of a Master of color.

"I believe that it is quite important for the House Masters to reflect the composition of the student body," said Liem, who is Indonesian. "We have a very diverse student body, I feel we should also have a diverse group of Masters."

Two weeks ago, Robert P. Kirshner was named as the new Master of Quincy House and Lewis is expected to announce the new Masters of Dunster House shortly.

Liem says he does not think the choice for Dunster House Master will be a minority.