Harris and Rosen are highly visible campus personalities, teaching popular core classes.

Rosen served on the staff of the National Security Council under former President Ronald Reagan and is currently co-teaching Historical Studies A-12: “International Conflict and Cooperation in the Modern World.”

Harris teaches Moral Reasoning 54: “If There Is No God, All Is Permitted.” He has been an outspoken critic of a drive to divest from Israel, a cause outgoing Winthrop House Master Paul D. Hanson supported.

Hafler directs a lab for Harvard Medical School’s Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“All the visitors were particularly impressive,” said Cabot House Senior Tutor Stephen Kargere, who is heading up Cabot’s search committee. “I wouldn’t say that all would be equally suitable for the job, but most of them were incredible.”

Some Winthrop residents said the academic prestige of a candidate should not be the deciding factor in the master search.

“It sort of matters to me more how involved they’d be in House life rather than their scholarly reputation,” Winthrop resident Heather A. Crossner ’03 said.

—Staff writer Emily M. Anderson can be reached at emanders@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Nalina Sombuntham can be reached at sombunth@fas.harvard.edu.