“Master”ing Contextualization

An integral component of Rice University’s residential college system is the presence of the masters, who are typically faculty members strongly affiliated with the colleges. The masters’ perpetual presence around their respective colleges lets a student form close relationships with them and their families, acknowledge them in passing with a quick “hi” or simply ignore them altogether. Regardless of the route a student takes concerning the college masters, they remain a very approachable resource for students and seek to make their colleges into the most welcoming environments possible.