Quincy House Masters to Step Down

Quincy House Master Michael Shinagel, currently the longest serving House master, announced yesterday that he will step down from his post as master of Quincy House in June.

Shinagel, who serves as chair of the College's informal masters committee, and his wife, co-Master Marjorie North, sent an e-mail to House residents yesterday informing them of their decision after 15 years in Quincy house.

"I've met wonderful people, and the students are great," Shinagel said in an interview. "But being a master is difficult. You serve, and you're happy in serving, but there comes a time when you're ready to pass the keys and the torch to a new generation."

North added it is with "bittersweetness" that they move on.

As chair of the masters for the past two and a half years, Shinagel has confronted several difficult issues, including the fallout from randomization and the debate over universal keycard access.

"[Shinagel] has had the tough job of steering [the masters'] deliberations, and he has done so admirably," Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 wrote in an e-mail. "He has been a strong supporter of many of the changes that have been made in the Houses in recent years."

Shinagel and North will move to a house in Cambridge in June, and both will keep their current academic posts. Shinagel is dean of the Division Continuing Education, and North teaches full time at Northeastern University and at the Harvard Extension School. The masters said they will keep in contact with Quincy House by becoming members of the Senior Common Room.

Shinagel and North said they look forward to having more time for themselves and each other.

Quincy staff and students said the masters' presence will be sorely missed in the House.

"Everyone is feeling very sad about their departure," said John P. Gerry, who served as senior tutor of Quincy for more than four years before stepping down at the beginning of this semester. "Mike and Marjorie are thought of as centers of the House, the glue that holds the community together," he said.

Gerry cited the masters' popular open houses and their success in fostering strong House pride.

Mark E. Lee '01-'02, president of the Quincy House Committee, praised the masters for their contributions to student life at the House, particularly for their financial help in installing the new House weight room at the beginning of this year.

"The masters have been very willing to work with us and the superintendent when trying to install the weight room...and for all other events too," Lee said.

Lee said the masters often balanced the short-term concerns of students with the long-term concerns of the House as a whole, a trait that Lee said provided a stable and secure community.

"They've been very good about supporting our events and helping us figure out a happy medium to make events as successful as they possibly can be for the House and the community," Lee said. "They've contributed to the House as much as any master possibly could."

A search for new House masters has been ongoing since November, when the Dunster House masters announced their resignations. Lewis said the College will make no new appointments until after spring break.