The Ivy League title of "master" is being dropped at Harvard and Princeton. The title, used for the faculty leaders of the residential colleges since the colleges' inception is being seen as a term for slavery to many, according to the Wall Street Journal. Harvard and Princeton have made the move to drop the title, addressing their students' concerns over the racial climate on the campuses.
"We believe that calling them 'head of college' better captures the spirit of their work and their contributions to campus residential life," Princeton's Dean Jill Dolan said, according to the New York Daily News. Princeton was the first of the Ivy League colleges to make the change.
While Harvard announced just last week the plans to drop the title, Princeton administrators made the move in November at its six colleges, dropping the title "master" which it described as being "anachronistic and historically vexed."
"The house masters feel confident that a change in title at this point in time makes sense on very many levels," Harvard Dean Rakesh Khurana wrote to students, according to FOX News.
Yale is considering the move, but has no plans yet to drop the title. Yale President Peter Salovey expects Yale to make a decision on the title by summer 2016.
