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At WRC, Associate Professor of Geology Dale Sawyer and his wife Elise, a kindergarten teacher, will be taking over the mastership for Professor of Education Dennis Shirley and Shelley Cochran.

The Sawyers have two children: Laura, who will be a freshman at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in the fall, and Matthew, who will be a fifth grader at Longfellow Elementary where Elise Sawyer teaches.

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Enrique Barrera and his wife Maribel will be the new masters at Jones. The Barreras have been residential associates at Jones and have two children, Monica and Thomas.

In their search for new masters, WRC formed a committee of eight students -- two from each class, one male and one female. The committee sought candidates from their own college and Sid Richardson College, which searched for new masters last year. Each of the eight colleges must choose new masters after five years with one master.

Until the 1970s, the President of the university was responsible for selecting college masters, but since then. the President has made his decision from a list submitted by the Committee of Masters and a student-composed Master Search Committee formed from college members.

The WRC search committee recommended the Sawyers in February, but the decision was not made official until Jones finished its search.

"We were looking for people who were going to be involved, accessible and interested in the students," WRC junior and committee member Brooke Cooper said regarding their search. "[We wanted] people who would be available but not overpowering or overbearing and stand up for the students in looking out for their best interests."

The committee specifically liked that the Sawyers "already knew Will Rice," since they had been WRC associates for eight years.

"We're very excited," Dale Sawyer said. "I'm looking forward to becoming more a part of the life the students." Sawyer expressed an interest in "raising the level of discussion of issues important to college students."

"I think the most important part of being a master involves providing for the students a very healthy collegiate lifestyle," he said.

As for the current WRC masters, Shirley and his family will be spending a year on sabbatical at Harvard University after their five-year residence on the Rice campus.

"It's a hard job to walk away from," Shirley said. "Mastership is one of the best-kept secrets at Rice University -- it's a fun job."

Shirley said that being a master is one of the best ways for faculty members to form close relationships with students as well as other faculty members.

"The administration has been doing a really good job in terms of encouraging faculty and student relationships outside of the classroom through the colleges," Shirley said.

To find new masters for Jones, the college cabinet selected a committee, headed by their associate vice president.

The committee gathered recommendations from students and the current masters, English professor David Minter and his wife, Caroline, to help them select possible candidates. The committee then conducted interviews to make their final decision.

"We were looking for truly committed and enthusiastic people who could help sustain and revive the spirit of Jones," Jones freshman and committee member Sumona Pram-anik said. "The search took almost all year long for Jones, because we ended up having to choose between two absolutely great sets of candidates," she said.

The committee "sequestered" themselves for seven to eight hours to make their decision. "It took a long time and involved a lot of work," committee member and Jones sophomore Michael Sorensen said.

Before their mastership at Jones, the Minters served as the Baker College masters from 1973-1979. "We really have enjoyed it, and it's tremendously rewarding. It's a wonderful way to get to know students," Minter said.

The Barrerras, who are currently out of town, could not be reached for comment.

This item appeared in the News section of the May 16, 1997 issue.