New Lovett masters prepare for college life

By Josh Rutenberg     4/9/09 7:00pm

The search is finally over: Lovett College will be welcoming Professor Matteo Pasquali and his wife Marie- Nathalie Contou-Carrere as its new masters next year. Pasquali and Contou-Carrere will replace current masters Bernard and Carolyn Aresu. Pasquali and Contou-Carrere said although they were initially hesitant about the job, they quickly warmed to the opportunity.

"[At first], Marie-Nathalie and I had some concerns on how to manage our professional lives with the demands of a college master," Professor of Chemistry Pasquali said. "However, after observing the dynamics of Lovetteers for about two months, [we] realized that we are just like anyone else: We like to have a dozen balls in the air, and somehow we can juggle intense professional responsibilities, have fun and still manage to sleep occasionally."

The master search began a few weeks into the fall semester. Headed by then-Lovett President Dana Helbling, a senior, the search for new masters attempted to incorporate input from a cross-section of Lovett.

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"Ultimately, every master redefines the position," Seach Committee member Kevin Sigerman said. "There's not a canon of the mastership. What we're trying to do is find someone whose vision fits in with Lovett itself, and I think we did that."

A committee was formed to interview and assess candidates. In total, 10 individuals served on the master search committee, half of which were student representatives. The other half consisted of resident associates, the college coordinator and former and current Lovett associates.

The search committee conducted several rounds of interviews. To determine those who would be the best match for Lovett, the committee assessed how likely potential candidates would be to participate in Cabinet meetings, Beer Bike and other college activities, Sigerman, a Lovett junior, said. Most of all, he said, the committee looked for candidates who would add something new.

"Following in the footsteps of Bernard and Carolyn Aresu will not be easy," Pasquali said. "Clearly, they have been excellent mentors and role models for all Lovetteers, and we can only hope to live up to the expectations they set."

Toward the end of the search, Rice President David Leebron hosted a reception at his house for the master candidates of Lovett as well as Hanszen, who also conducted a master search around that time. Once the search committees narrowed down their choices to two candidates, they submitted those names to Leebron, Sigerman said.

"Marie-Nathalie and I were very impressed by the Lovetteers we met in the search committee and in our first interactions with them," Pasquali said. "The Lovett students know how to have fun, yet they are mature young adults. They are very lively, both intellectually and socially."

Sigerman said he is looking forward to the arrival of Pasquali and Contou-Carrere.

"It takes a very special person to [serve as master], and we're really excited with who we have," Sigerman said. "We think they're perfect for Lovett and think they'll do a good job.

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