New Public Relations Asst. Director - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Apr 15, 2006

RE: New Public Relations Asst. Director

Date: Apr 15, 2006

Add Northwestern, which I also attended. Add Notre Dame, where I once had friends. Add University of Chicago, where I once had friends. Those are the only ones I know of first-hand.

Date: Apr 15, 2006

LVN wrote:

Add Northwestern, which I also attended. Add Notre Dame, where I once had friends. Add University of Chicago, where I once had friends. Those are the only ones I know of first-hand.

So, it looks like we have Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, University of Chicago, Northwestern, USC, and Western KY calling professors "professors" instead of "doctor" (with as much respect, mind you, if not more). Can anyone else provide other examples for our small sampling?

Date: Apr 15, 2006

The Chicago Manual of Style has:

Q. If someone has a PhD and is a professor at a university, what would be his or her title? Doctor or Professor?

A. Although this question doesn’t really fall within the purview of CMS, the manuscript editing department at Chicago is of course well versed in etiquette, as we are in most things. Traditions vary from school to school and from discipline to discipline. You’re always safe with “Mr.” or “Ms.,” but I doubt that any teacher would be offended if you called her “Professor,” whether or not she is one. “Doctor” is usually reserved for medical doctors, although some professors use it, and PhD’s who don’t have tenure-track appointments (and who therefore don’t hold the title of professor) often like to use “Doctor” instead. (For other questions of etiquette, you can browse the Internet for “etiquette” or “manners” or, in this case, “forms of address.”)

Source.

Date: Apr 15, 2006

Wow, cuz -- thanks. Essentially, it's cultural. At some places, there's a reverse snobbery no doubt, in refusing to be called Dr.

Frankly, if I had been able to finish at Vandy I would probably have had "Dr." engraved in solid gold on everything in sight, especially after the amount of money even a short time there cost.

Date: Apr 17, 2006

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.ProperNames.html

Q. If someone has a PhD and is a professor at a university, what would be his or her title? Doctor or Professor?

A. Although this question doesn’t really fall within the purview of CMS, the manuscript editing department at Chicago is of course well versed in etiquette, as we are in most things. Traditions vary from school to school and from discipline to discipline. You’re always safe with “Mr.” or “Ms.,” but I doubt that any teacher would be offended if you called her “Professor,” whether or not she is one. “Doctor” is usually reserved for medical doctors, although some professors use it, and PhD’s who don’t have tenure-track appointments (and who therefore don’t hold the title of professor) often like to use “Doctor” instead. (For other questions of etiquette, you can browse the Internet for “etiquette” or “manners” or, in this case, “forms of address.”)

Date: Apr 17, 2006

LVN wrote:

Add University of Chicago, where I once had friends.

At one tme the University of Chicago's academic catalog used the title Mr. in the course descriptions rather than the title Dr. Maybe it still does. I thought that was pretty classy.

At the other end of the taste spectrum, one of the tackiest practices I have seen is when a faculty member uses the title Dr. and at the same time adds the degree Ph.D.designation - e.g., Dr. John Doe, Ph.D.

Date: Apr 17, 2006

Yes, that is what started all of this...my observation that using the degree initials after your name (i.e. Margie Whatshername, M.B.A.) simply looks tacky.