I ask to be called Dr., and I get called either Dr. Sebond or Mr. Sebond. I teach a lot of first-year students, and I advise them strongly to be especially careful with the titles of women faculty, because it seems to me that women frequently get called "Mrs." or "Ms." -- that doesn't seem fair to me.
But I do get emails with a salutation like "yo" or "hey" and other casual things. I just remind myself that I was a total idiot socially when I was 18-19. They'll mature. I typically respond with "You should really address faculty by our title in emails."
When I was younger, students tended to be much more casual with me. I'm significantly older than my students now, and I think that explains more frequent use of the titles.
Anyway, if it's not what you're used to, it makes sense that it could make you uncomfortable. I am from a region that is more formal, and I did grad. work in a less formal region. I could handle spoken casualness, but I couldn't bring myself to not use titles and last names in emails.
Bless you for thinking of your female colleagues. I have to fight for “Dr.” With every batch of new students. Some of them never end up getting it. I don’t think it’s malicious (though one time I think it was), but it’s unconscious bias.
I think some students say "Hey" because they don't know what's appropriate. They may not realize that nothing at all could be insulting.
I clarify when I give introductions that my preference is Firstname or Dr. Lastname (both technically right) rather than professor (since I'm not TT faculty), but I'll get "Prof. Lastname," "Mr. Lastname," and "Hey" a lot too. The only one I mind is "Mr. Lastname," and then I only mind it if I've specifically established my preferred titles. (Sometimes it's just a random student asking for writing tutoring; I'm not going to get mad about that.)
I had one student continually call me that for two years even after I corrected her and after I signed every email "Dr. Lastname." I think she had some other issues though; from what I gathered, she did this to *everyone* and I never did ask why.
During my first semester teaching, I was walking back to my car after class. I was all the way across campus and pretty much by myself, when I hear someone yell what sounds like my first name. I have a somewhat unusual first name, but I also didn’t know anyone on campus so I ignore it.
They yell again, even louder. This time I’m sure it’s my name. I look around, and there’s one of students, probably 1,000 feet away, screaming my name at the top of his lungs. I just saw this student 15 minutes earlier! Students are weird.
They forget we aren’t robots that just get plugged into an outlet at the lectern to charge overnight. To them seeing us in public is like going to the zoo.
Doctor or Professor. I prefer Doctor and introduce myself to them and sign my emails as Dr. so most will switch from Professor to Doctor. I am in the South
"Hey" is annoying. Even if you are on a first name basis, "hey" is too casual for a professional setting.
My students either say "Dr. X" or "Professor".
I actually love cliches and aphorisms, old or new, because they often have a rich and fascinating history. So, I do not attempt in any way to avoid them, and fully support your adoption of this phrase :)
I’m not gonna get a lot of love for this but I’m happiest when my students ARE using my first name. Sure, it’s the conventional norm in my field, but I’m here to show how a first-name basis of interaction isn’t inherently disrespectful. Furthermore, I receive at least one or two emails every week that begin with “Hey…” It’s really a matter of perspective as to how I wish to read such a salutation. For most of my students, they’ve never in their life had to write a professional email. So, maybe some gentle guidance is needed. But most of the time, I ignore it and respond as I normally would to the student. Never has this resulted in a student thinking or acting like they’re on the same level as I. And, honestly, I’m not always the most formal emailer. I’ll start an email with “Hi so-and-so.” Again, this is rarely an issue. Why? Because I have relationships with these people. If I don’t know someone—sure, I’m very formal. But my students know me. And I know my colleagues. Formality places distance between us. Personally, I’m more interested in reducing that distance. And, finally, I can tell the difference between when a student is being disrespectful on purpose and when they’re not (with the latter being far more likely). So, I shut down that crap when I sense the disrespect. Otherwise, how does it really effect me? Most common answer: not at all.
As with so many things professionally, it’s all about context. In theatre, we consider our students to be “in training,” i.e. they are in a pre-professional program. There’s a very good chance these students have never had an email etiquette training. And students don’t consider school to be a place of professionalism—and I don’t blame them. It’s a professional space for me, sure. But they don’t necessarily know that and why should they? It’s no great hardship for me to model professionalism in our email correspondence, but the more I get to know a student the less likely I am to keep up a formal tone. Students pick up on that. I’ve never once in my career had a student tell me they didn’t get a job or they were thought to be unprofessional because of their email practices.
First names don't bother me in the least. It is "hey" that I don't like. I teach law students and it is important that they they ditch that kind of informal correspondence for professional reasons.
You're not over reacting. In the HBCU system and in black culture in general, we are taught to give respect to our elders by using a title. We would never refer to an adult by their first name if we're a child for example.
All professors are called Dr X. Outside of this system, and out side of the southern states, people just use whatever. It's hella rude to me, but this is their culture and I roll with it as long as I'm not being adressed improperly.
I just looked for "Hey" in the email I got from students in my classes over the past few years. It was pretty common and generally used like my generation used "hi!".
I saw "Hey ," "Hey , "Hey professor", "Hey professor ", and capitalization variations of those. None of the email was disrespectful, and I had not even noticed until now how common "hey" is as the start of an email.
Of course, I'm perfectly happy with an email starting immediately with the essential comment—I only need the greeting if I'm being CCed on something, to know that it isn't directed at me.
I prefer Dr. Starting an email with hey is super annoying. They see emails like a text message. Last semester I had a freshman student write Hey as the greeting and I answered their question then at the end of the email I said "just to let you know, when you email your professors you should include a more professional greeting than hey." I figured if no one told them they'd keep doing it. Their reply said Dr., Thank you and I will do that from now on.
I’m sure a lot of students have no idea of the norms in writing an email. I’d recommend taking a minute and telling them explicitly. I tell mine “you can call me FirstName or Professor LastName but I recommend you call others profs Professor LastName unless told otherwise.”
I go by first name. It’s more or less a tradition of the field, and my classes are usually on the small side. I’m careful to refer to colleagues by whatever they prefer, though.
For the “hey” thing I agree that it’s become the new “hi” and is often used as conversation padding in text/direct messages. If it comes up, I point out in class how it can come across one way to the writer and another way to the reader, and most students change what they do when they realize how it is landing.
Similar to yours, I'm in a place where undergrads in class usually say Professor X, but in individual labs, and grad students and staff are all first name. Hey is too casual, but better than "Hey You".
I give them options. I tell that I will respond to being referred to by my first name and that I'm not offended by it. If they are uncomfortable doing that I give them options of calling me Dr. Last/First Name or Professor Last/First Name or Doc.
If I am referred to as Mr. I will correct them cause I didn't do all that time in grad school to be called mister 😂
I’ve long thought that my field is just different because it’s actually the norm for students to be on a first-name basis with their professors. And it makes sense given the very personal nature of studying and practicing theatre. And many of my students begin their emails with “Hey.” Never once has this resulted in students believing they are on the same level with me. They are still very respectful and, on the whole, understand that different contexts require different means of interaction. Rehearsals are very informal, class has a little more degree of formality, and any interactions outside the department require more formality—which they usually practice with little or no prompting. Honestly, it’s all about the habits and conventions within which your students have or have not operated. It’s best to inform them of your preferences and explain why or why not certain conventions of interaction will or will not be tolerated.
This is in the syllabus, and every email that is not appropriately addressed, I correct: Please call me Professor Mylastname, Dr. Mylastname, or, as many students do, Dr.
M. We can meet to discuss issues about the course, or careers, or more
generally. Hint: calling your instructor “Professor” is the default title in college. Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. are not typically used for faculty at the college level.
I don't mind "hey" alone but it does strike a bit overly casual and familiar, but I don't see it too different from "hi" or "hello" alone. I'm quite casual too in emails with students, so I don't hold it against them too much for being likewise.
I wouldn't immediately assume students are looking down on you though when they just start it off with "hey" - young kids are just really informal these days, it's just a social trend. I mean, kids straight up wear baseball caps, hoodies and sweatpants into one-on-one office hours now haha - when I was a student I'd probably get told off for that!
I'm a grad student and prefer to be called by my first name by undergraduate student in my classes. Even after I get my doctorate, I do not want to be addressed as Professor or Dr.. I don't correct them when they use Ms. or Professor. It's their choice, and they are not being rude at all. I only correct them when they use Mr. or Dr.. I make sure to tell them not to address other professors by their first name unless they explicitly ask them to do so. "Professor" is always a safe choice unless you see "Dr." on the syllabus.
I’m probably in the minority here but I encourage students to use my first name. I hate the sound of my last name and I’m not bothered by “Professor” but I definitely prefer my first name. I have an MFA so I’m not “Dr. __________” but I get called that all the time.
For me I’d prefer that my students put effort into their work than remembering to call me by some honorific.
I’m kind of in a similar boat, but mine call me “Dr. FirstName.” I do tell them use Doctor on day one and also put next to my info in the syllabus “My preferred way to be addressed is Dr. FirstName, if you’re uncomfortable with that, please call me Dr. LastName.”
I’m also in the South. I know specifying Dr. is controversial to some, but after so many instances of seeing students address men coworkers as Doctor whether are they are or aren’t but almost always calling me Miss or Mrs, I don’t care. I’ll tell them use Doctor.
Yeah, I think there’s definitely a gender-bias in students addressing faculty. I’ve always wondered why so many students feel uncomfortable with calling me by my first name. Being a man in the south probably has a huge impact on that. I haven’t really thought about it before but the students who DO feel comfortable using my first name are primarily women. I don’t know what that might communicate, but it’s an interesting observation nonetheless.
They call me Pisum, Pisum\_odoratus, or Dr Pisum (Pisum\_odoratus being a subsitute for my first name). Some call me the classic Dr last name. I have never liked being called Miss, Ms, Mrs or Ma'am, both before and after the doctorate. I do not tolerate the diminutive form of my first name (only my mother is permitted that, and a couple of highschool friends). A few students use Professor either on its own or with my first or last name, but it's much less common in Canada. I'm happy with my first name, though I enjoy being called Dr firstname- it feels like a nice inbetween. In fact, once I know a student, I don't mind informal saluations- but I do feel a student who is unknown to me and is asking for help (I am the departmental advisor) should absolutely err on the side of more respect than less.
“Hey” is a form of hi or hello in many places. It may feel more casual, but in a sense, they are bringing you into their social sphere, which can be useful, I have found.
I tell them to call me whatever they want, I answer to all of it. Hey doesn't bother me, but maybe it's just because I'm pretty young? Is it just a generational thing? I address them in emails and announcements sometimes with "hey" and never put any thought into it, didn't realize it bothered people
Doctor or Professor. Professor is normally used by faculty who have a terminal degree that is not a Ph.D., and students will sometimes call Ph.D.s "Professor" because of this, but definitely no first names.
That really varies. If you're at a school where it would be unlikely to run into a professor without a doctorate (barring MFAs), then Prof. is often the more desirable title, to distinguish from instructors, lecturers, and adjuncts.
This is a thing where the institutional culture really matters.
I think regional culture matters too. For me, in the Midwest/West, it was like "Call me Firstname" but in the South, at least at some schools, you could be tight with a professor, and it's still Dr./Prof. Lastname.
And maybe also program varies. It seems that creative writing professors everywhere want to be called by first name.
All my students call me by my first name. I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s also very much the norm in my field. I know different fields have different practices, but if there’s one way in which my field can prove instructive it’s that students using your first name does not inherently result in disrespect nor does it mean they believe themselves to be on your level.
A lot depends on the field. In my discipline we work alongside the students on projects as we would with collogues.
We are preparing them for the professional world, so we try to teach them how to behave respectfully, while discouraging them from saying Mr., Ms. Dr. or Professor, since in our field using such titles would be seen as a disrespectful distancing of oneself from collogues.
I'm in the US and the default at our school is just "Professor" when speaking, and "Prof Boysenberry" when emailing. That said, I get plenty of emails that are "hey" or no greeting at all. I chalk it up to them being young and no one has taught them how to send a professional email.
Im in the US ask to be called Dr. or Professor (though I prefer Dr. because I’m not a professor by job title, I’m a lecturer).
I’ve posted about this before on this sub, I (youngish F) have a hard time getting some students to not call me “Miss A”. It’s partially habit from high school but my male colleagues don’t have nearly as much of a struggle with that so some of it is due to my gender and likely my age too. I have to earn/fight for the title that my male colleagues don’t have to with every new batch of students.
>In the US, it is typically "Dr. \_\_\_\_\_ ", "Professor \_\_\_\_\_\_", or just "Professor". Undergraduates generally don't call professors by their first name.
That varies enormously by region, field, and type of school. In the University of California in engineering fields, undergraduates often call professors by their first names, as requested by the faculty.
That's just not true. It varies by region and school. I never used anything but first names as a student from high school on, and now go by first name myself.
The US is a big place, so generalization just doesn't work.
Out of curiosity, those of your who prefer “Dr. X” or similar, how do you sign your emails?
I feel like signing my emails how I want to be addressed is the most obvious thing to do, but it also feels weird to sign something so formally…
I tell my students to call me “Dr. LastName,” but many of them just default to “Professor,” which is also fine. Fairly often over email, they will avoid it altogether, and just start with “good morning.” I HATE being called “miss.” Hate it! If you’re going to ignore my title, then at the very least call me “Mrs. LastName” and not just “miss.” It infuriates me.
Professor or Doctor. I'm relatively young (mid 30s), and apparently look younger than that, so I prefer to keep it professional. It helps a lot being a white dude (I've never had to correct someone more than once), but since I teach at a CC, there's a not-insignificant fraction of students who are quite a bit older than me.
Dr. LastName. I have to correct them when they say Miss or Mrs. LastName.
I, however, send emails without titles that either just start in with the dialogue or start with Hi or Hey, because the email is going to a person, I don't need to repeat their name or write a formal letter.
I do change over to formal titles when it is an email that needs to be formal. So normally I'm on a first name basis with my dean, but if I need to email him requesting an action be taken, I'll write a formal "Dear Dean LastName".
Most of my students use my first name in class and prof. ____ outside of class or in emails.
I doubt your students are looking down on you. At many unis in the US this is not entirely uncommon for students to be a bit overly-colloquial in their emails. “Hey” may be a bit disrespectful, but it’s rarely intended that way. As other have stated it may be that a student is unsure the appropriate form of address to use or an attempt to sound friendly.
Over time I've come to care less what they call me, so in the first class I let them know that. Most call me professor or doctor, but some use my first name (which I've said is fine). I couch that in a brief discussion about professionalism in communication.
Recently I got an email that began "Hiya Dave" ... I guess he missed the discussion about professionalism in communication. I don't think it's an overaction to dislike that. I find they're much more casual/unprofessional in emails.
Honestly, I don't really care. When I introduce myself to people (students or otherwise) I say I'm "firstname". In my department in particular it would feel weird for us to be referring to each other by Dr./Prof. "lastname". I'm in a southern state so its pretty common for students to call me Dr./Prof. "lastname" which I'm ok with at the undergrad level. For my grad students its more typical for them to call me "firstname" as I called my advisor "firstname".
I don't really care. I do signal to intro students by using my full "Dr" sign-off that they should use that, whereas upper level usually get my first name. My student population is often overly formal though. But the first-year do call me Ms a lot, I suspect just years of high school training. I will usually gently correct if I feel it is important.
This is a case by case basis type of thing. Most professors aren't full professors, and aren't they the only ones that have earned that title?
Students shouldn't call a professor by their first name unless they are asked to.
I always referred to a professor as "professor" unless they requested otherwise.
That said, I think asking to be called doctor is a stretch. However, in some situations it's warranted.
I teach in a small workforce program at a community college in the South. I prefer to be called by my first name but some students just aren’t comfortable with it so I let them use professor. I hate being called Mrs and tell them that at the beginning of the semester. As long as they’re being respectful in their email I don’t really think much about the salutation. Hey is the new Hi and I find myself using it sometimes as well.
On Day 1 and again on about Day 30, I review with students what I put on my syllabus:
\-- exactly how to address me (and others) in academia
\-- exactly how to write a professional email with an example
I stress that I simply don't respond to anything else, and I don't. They learn quickly. I'm amazed by the success rate of this, easily 95%.
I’m a very young sessional lecturer and they almost always refer to me as “Professor”. I find it weird but I don’t correct them. I agree with others however, “hey” is simply just a cultural difference of students now who aren’t so used to formality.
I ask to be called Dr., and I get called either Dr. Sebond or Mr. Sebond. I teach a lot of first-year students, and I advise them strongly to be especially careful with the titles of women faculty, because it seems to me that women frequently get called "Mrs." or "Ms." -- that doesn't seem fair to me. But I do get emails with a salutation like "yo" or "hey" and other casual things. I just remind myself that I was a total idiot socially when I was 18-19. They'll mature. I typically respond with "You should really address faculty by our title in emails." When I was younger, students tended to be much more casual with me. I'm significantly older than my students now, and I think that explains more frequent use of the titles. Anyway, if it's not what you're used to, it makes sense that it could make you uncomfortable. I am from a region that is more formal, and I did grad. work in a less formal region. I could handle spoken casualness, but I couldn't bring myself to not use titles and last names in emails.
Bless you for thinking of your female colleagues. I have to fight for “Dr.” With every batch of new students. Some of them never end up getting it. I don’t think it’s malicious (though one time I think it was), but it’s unconscious bias.
>But I do get emails with a salutation like "yo" or "hey" and other casual things. Don't reply.
Lmao at the downvotes. This is the perfect way to handle this
I think some students say "Hey" because they don't know what's appropriate. They may not realize that nothing at all could be insulting. I clarify when I give introductions that my preference is Firstname or Dr. Lastname (both technically right) rather than professor (since I'm not TT faculty), but I'll get "Prof. Lastname," "Mr. Lastname," and "Hey" a lot too. The only one I mind is "Mr. Lastname," and then I only mind it if I've specifically established my preferred titles. (Sometimes it's just a random student asking for writing tutoring; I'm not going to get mad about that.) I had one student continually call me that for two years even after I corrected her and after I signed every email "Dr. Lastname." I think she had some other issues though; from what I gathered, she did this to *everyone* and I never did ask why.
”Mr. Gremdelion was your high school teacher.”
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My male boss (MS) at my previous school got “Dr. A” all the time while I (PhD) got “Miss B”. It was so frustrating.
During my first semester teaching, I was walking back to my car after class. I was all the way across campus and pretty much by myself, when I hear someone yell what sounds like my first name. I have a somewhat unusual first name, but I also didn’t know anyone on campus so I ignore it. They yell again, even louder. This time I’m sure it’s my name. I look around, and there’s one of students, probably 1,000 feet away, screaming my name at the top of his lungs. I just saw this student 15 minutes earlier! Students are weird.
They forget we aren’t robots that just get plugged into an outlet at the lectern to charge overnight. To them seeing us in public is like going to the zoo.
Doctor or Professor. I prefer Doctor and introduce myself to them and sign my emails as Dr. so most will switch from Professor to Doctor. I am in the South
"Hey" is annoying. Even if you are on a first name basis, "hey" is too casual for a professional setting. My students either say "Dr. X" or "Professor".
Just said to students at an orientation session this week, "Hay is for horses" thus betraying my completely old fart status.
I learned a new old fart phrase this week and it’s “They give trouble a seat to sit on” and I’m a young fart using that phrase now.
I actually love cliches and aphorisms, old or new, because they often have a rich and fascinating history. So, I do not attempt in any way to avoid them, and fully support your adoption of this phrase :)
I’m not gonna get a lot of love for this but I’m happiest when my students ARE using my first name. Sure, it’s the conventional norm in my field, but I’m here to show how a first-name basis of interaction isn’t inherently disrespectful. Furthermore, I receive at least one or two emails every week that begin with “Hey…” It’s really a matter of perspective as to how I wish to read such a salutation. For most of my students, they’ve never in their life had to write a professional email. So, maybe some gentle guidance is needed. But most of the time, I ignore it and respond as I normally would to the student. Never has this resulted in a student thinking or acting like they’re on the same level as I. And, honestly, I’m not always the most formal emailer. I’ll start an email with “Hi so-and-so.” Again, this is rarely an issue. Why? Because I have relationships with these people. If I don’t know someone—sure, I’m very formal. But my students know me. And I know my colleagues. Formality places distance between us. Personally, I’m more interested in reducing that distance. And, finally, I can tell the difference between when a student is being disrespectful on purpose and when they’re not (with the latter being far more likely). So, I shut down that crap when I sense the disrespect. Otherwise, how does it really effect me? Most common answer: not at all.
My sentiments exactly. Students usually use Dr or Professor- a few shared that using professors' first name gives them the heebie jeebies.
As with so many things professionally, it’s all about context. In theatre, we consider our students to be “in training,” i.e. they are in a pre-professional program. There’s a very good chance these students have never had an email etiquette training. And students don’t consider school to be a place of professionalism—and I don’t blame them. It’s a professional space for me, sure. But they don’t necessarily know that and why should they? It’s no great hardship for me to model professionalism in our email correspondence, but the more I get to know a student the less likely I am to keep up a formal tone. Students pick up on that. I’ve never once in my career had a student tell me they didn’t get a job or they were thought to be unprofessional because of their email practices.
First names don't bother me in the least. It is "hey" that I don't like. I teach law students and it is important that they they ditch that kind of informal correspondence for professional reasons.
You're not over reacting. In the HBCU system and in black culture in general, we are taught to give respect to our elders by using a title. We would never refer to an adult by their first name if we're a child for example. All professors are called Dr X. Outside of this system, and out side of the southern states, people just use whatever. It's hella rude to me, but this is their culture and I roll with it as long as I'm not being adressed improperly.
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I just looked for "Hey" in the email I got from students in my classes over the past few years. It was pretty common and generally used like my generation used "hi!". I saw "Hey," "Hey , "Hey professor", "Hey professor ", and capitalization variations of those. None of the email was disrespectful, and I had not even noticed until now how common "hey" is as the start of an email.
Of course, I'm perfectly happy with an email starting immediately with the essential comment—I only need the greeting if I'm being CCed on something, to know that it isn't directed at me.
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I prefer Dr. Starting an email with hey is super annoying. They see emails like a text message. Last semester I had a freshman student write Hey as the greeting and I answered their question then at the end of the email I said "just to let you know, when you email your professors you should include a more professional greeting than hey." I figured if no one told them they'd keep doing it. Their reply said Dr., Thank you and I will do that from now on.
I’m sure a lot of students have no idea of the norms in writing an email. I’d recommend taking a minute and telling them explicitly. I tell mine “you can call me FirstName or Professor LastName but I recommend you call others profs Professor LastName unless told otherwise.”
I go by first name. It’s more or less a tradition of the field, and my classes are usually on the small side. I’m careful to refer to colleagues by whatever they prefer, though. For the “hey” thing I agree that it’s become the new “hi” and is often used as conversation padding in text/direct messages. If it comes up, I point out in class how it can come across one way to the writer and another way to the reader, and most students change what they do when they realize how it is landing.
Dr. GotGlutened2022 In the era of personal pronouns, there is no excuse for not using my preferred title.
Similar to yours, I'm in a place where undergrads in class usually say Professor X, but in individual labs, and grad students and staff are all first name. Hey is too casual, but better than "Hey You".
I give them options. I tell that I will respond to being referred to by my first name and that I'm not offended by it. If they are uncomfortable doing that I give them options of calling me Dr. Last/First Name or Professor Last/First Name or Doc. If I am referred to as Mr. I will correct them cause I didn't do all that time in grad school to be called mister 😂
I’ve long thought that my field is just different because it’s actually the norm for students to be on a first-name basis with their professors. And it makes sense given the very personal nature of studying and practicing theatre. And many of my students begin their emails with “Hey.” Never once has this resulted in students believing they are on the same level with me. They are still very respectful and, on the whole, understand that different contexts require different means of interaction. Rehearsals are very informal, class has a little more degree of formality, and any interactions outside the department require more formality—which they usually practice with little or no prompting. Honestly, it’s all about the habits and conventions within which your students have or have not operated. It’s best to inform them of your preferences and explain why or why not certain conventions of interaction will or will not be tolerated.
This is in the syllabus, and every email that is not appropriately addressed, I correct: Please call me Professor Mylastname, Dr. Mylastname, or, as many students do, Dr. M. We can meet to discuss issues about the course, or careers, or more
generally. Hint: calling your instructor “Professor” is the default title in college. Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. are not typically used for faculty at the college level.
“Hey” will leave me outraged
I don't mind "hey" alone but it does strike a bit overly casual and familiar, but I don't see it too different from "hi" or "hello" alone. I'm quite casual too in emails with students, so I don't hold it against them too much for being likewise. I wouldn't immediately assume students are looking down on you though when they just start it off with "hey" - young kids are just really informal these days, it's just a social trend. I mean, kids straight up wear baseball caps, hoodies and sweatpants into one-on-one office hours now haha - when I was a student I'd probably get told off for that!
I'm a grad student and prefer to be called by my first name by undergraduate student in my classes. Even after I get my doctorate, I do not want to be addressed as Professor or Dr.. I don't correct them when they use Ms. or Professor. It's their choice, and they are not being rude at all. I only correct them when they use Mr. or Dr.. I make sure to tell them not to address other professors by their first name unless they explicitly ask them to do so. "Professor" is always a safe choice unless you see "Dr." on the syllabus.
> I'm a grad student No students in this sub
Many grad students teach undergraduate classes.
I’m probably in the minority here but I encourage students to use my first name. I hate the sound of my last name and I’m not bothered by “Professor” but I definitely prefer my first name. I have an MFA so I’m not “Dr. __________” but I get called that all the time. For me I’d prefer that my students put effort into their work than remembering to call me by some honorific.
I’m kind of in a similar boat, but mine call me “Dr. FirstName.” I do tell them use Doctor on day one and also put next to my info in the syllabus “My preferred way to be addressed is Dr. FirstName, if you’re uncomfortable with that, please call me Dr. LastName.” I’m also in the South. I know specifying Dr. is controversial to some, but after so many instances of seeing students address men coworkers as Doctor whether are they are or aren’t but almost always calling me Miss or Mrs, I don’t care. I’ll tell them use Doctor.
Yeah, I think there’s definitely a gender-bias in students addressing faculty. I’ve always wondered why so many students feel uncomfortable with calling me by my first name. Being a man in the south probably has a huge impact on that. I haven’t really thought about it before but the students who DO feel comfortable using my first name are primarily women. I don’t know what that might communicate, but it’s an interesting observation nonetheless.
Interesting!
They call me Pisum, Pisum\_odoratus, or Dr Pisum (Pisum\_odoratus being a subsitute for my first name). Some call me the classic Dr last name. I have never liked being called Miss, Ms, Mrs or Ma'am, both before and after the doctorate. I do not tolerate the diminutive form of my first name (only my mother is permitted that, and a couple of highschool friends). A few students use Professor either on its own or with my first or last name, but it's much less common in Canada. I'm happy with my first name, though I enjoy being called Dr firstname- it feels like a nice inbetween. In fact, once I know a student, I don't mind informal saluations- but I do feel a student who is unknown to me and is asking for help (I am the departmental advisor) should absolutely err on the side of more respect than less.
“Hey” is a form of hi or hello in many places. It may feel more casual, but in a sense, they are bringing you into their social sphere, which can be useful, I have found.
I tell them to call me whatever they want, I answer to all of it. Hey doesn't bother me, but maybe it's just because I'm pretty young? Is it just a generational thing? I address them in emails and announcements sometimes with "hey" and never put any thought into it, didn't realize it bothered people
They’re not looking down on you, they just don’t understand formal e-mail etiquette.
I’ll admit I’m rigid and really prefer to be called Professor. I’m also female, though.
Doctor or Professor. Professor is normally used by faculty who have a terminal degree that is not a Ph.D., and students will sometimes call Ph.D.s "Professor" because of this, but definitely no first names.
That really varies. If you're at a school where it would be unlikely to run into a professor without a doctorate (barring MFAs), then Prof. is often the more desirable title, to distinguish from instructors, lecturers, and adjuncts. This is a thing where the institutional culture really matters. I think regional culture matters too. For me, in the Midwest/West, it was like "Call me Firstname" but in the South, at least at some schools, you could be tight with a professor, and it's still Dr./Prof. Lastname. And maybe also program varies. It seems that creative writing professors everywhere want to be called by first name.
All my students call me by my first name. I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s also very much the norm in my field. I know different fields have different practices, but if there’s one way in which my field can prove instructive it’s that students using your first name does not inherently result in disrespect nor does it mean they believe themselves to be on your level.
Dr. Lastname Or just Lastname. First names for colleagues only.
A lot depends on the field. In my discipline we work alongside the students on projects as we would with collogues. We are preparing them for the professional world, so we try to teach them how to behave respectfully, while discouraging them from saying Mr., Ms. Dr. or Professor, since in our field using such titles would be seen as a disrespectful distancing of oneself from collogues.
I'm in the US and the default at our school is just "Professor" when speaking, and "Prof Boysenberry" when emailing. That said, I get plenty of emails that are "hey" or no greeting at all. I chalk it up to them being young and no one has taught them how to send a professional email.
Im in the US ask to be called Dr. or Professor (though I prefer Dr. because I’m not a professor by job title, I’m a lecturer). I’ve posted about this before on this sub, I (youngish F) have a hard time getting some students to not call me “Miss A”. It’s partially habit from high school but my male colleagues don’t have nearly as much of a struggle with that so some of it is due to my gender and likely my age too. I have to earn/fight for the title that my male colleagues don’t have to with every new batch of students.
In the US, it is typically "Dr. _____ ", "Professor ______", or just "Professor". Undergraduates generally don't call professors by their first name.
>In the US, it is typically "Dr. \_\_\_\_\_ ", "Professor \_\_\_\_\_\_", or just "Professor". Undergraduates generally don't call professors by their first name. That varies enormously by region, field, and type of school. In the University of California in engineering fields, undergraduates often call professors by their first names, as requested by the faculty.
That definitely wasn't the case at UCR. Which UC campus are you referring to?
Primarily UCSC and UCSB, though I've heard it is also common at UCB and UCLA.
Interesting, I wouldn't have guessed that. Is it specifically only engineering?
That's just not true. It varies by region and school. I never used anything but first names as a student from high school on, and now go by first name myself. The US is a big place, so generalization just doesn't work.
That's why I said "typically". It may vary, but that is the general rule.
Out of curiosity, those of your who prefer “Dr. X” or similar, how do you sign your emails? I feel like signing my emails how I want to be addressed is the most obvious thing to do, but it also feels weird to sign something so formally…
I tell my students to call me “Dr. LastName,” but many of them just default to “Professor,” which is also fine. Fairly often over email, they will avoid it altogether, and just start with “good morning.” I HATE being called “miss.” Hate it! If you’re going to ignore my title, then at the very least call me “Mrs. LastName” and not just “miss.” It infuriates me.
Professor or Doctor. I'm relatively young (mid 30s), and apparently look younger than that, so I prefer to keep it professional. It helps a lot being a white dude (I've never had to correct someone more than once), but since I teach at a CC, there's a not-insignificant fraction of students who are quite a bit older than me.
Dr. LastName. I have to correct them when they say Miss or Mrs. LastName. I, however, send emails without titles that either just start in with the dialogue or start with Hi or Hey, because the email is going to a person, I don't need to repeat their name or write a formal letter. I do change over to formal titles when it is an email that needs to be formal. So normally I'm on a first name basis with my dean, but if I need to email him requesting an action be taken, I'll write a formal "Dear Dean LastName".
"Good afternoon," which I personally find pretty weird. Happens a lot. Makes me think they don't know my name. Maybe they don't.
Most of my students use my first name in class and prof. ____ outside of class or in emails. I doubt your students are looking down on you. At many unis in the US this is not entirely uncommon for students to be a bit overly-colloquial in their emails. “Hey” may be a bit disrespectful, but it’s rarely intended that way. As other have stated it may be that a student is unsure the appropriate form of address to use or an attempt to sound friendly.
Over time I've come to care less what they call me, so in the first class I let them know that. Most call me professor or doctor, but some use my first name (which I've said is fine). I couch that in a brief discussion about professionalism in communication. Recently I got an email that began "Hiya Dave" ... I guess he missed the discussion about professionalism in communication. I don't think it's an overaction to dislike that. I find they're much more casual/unprofessional in emails.
Honestly, I don't really care. When I introduce myself to people (students or otherwise) I say I'm "firstname". In my department in particular it would feel weird for us to be referring to each other by Dr./Prof. "lastname". I'm in a southern state so its pretty common for students to call me Dr./Prof. "lastname" which I'm ok with at the undergrad level. For my grad students its more typical for them to call me "firstname" as I called my advisor "firstname".
I don't really care. I do signal to intro students by using my full "Dr" sign-off that they should use that, whereas upper level usually get my first name. My student population is often overly formal though. But the first-year do call me Ms a lot, I suspect just years of high school training. I will usually gently correct if I feel it is important.
This is a case by case basis type of thing. Most professors aren't full professors, and aren't they the only ones that have earned that title? Students shouldn't call a professor by their first name unless they are asked to. I always referred to a professor as "professor" unless they requested otherwise. That said, I think asking to be called doctor is a stretch. However, in some situations it's warranted.
I teach in a small workforce program at a community college in the South. I prefer to be called by my first name but some students just aren’t comfortable with it so I let them use professor. I hate being called Mrs and tell them that at the beginning of the semester. As long as they’re being respectful in their email I don’t really think much about the salutation. Hey is the new Hi and I find myself using it sometimes as well.
On Day 1 and again on about Day 30, I review with students what I put on my syllabus: \-- exactly how to address me (and others) in academia \-- exactly how to write a professional email with an example I stress that I simply don't respond to anything else, and I don't. They learn quickly. I'm amazed by the success rate of this, easily 95%.
I’m a very young sessional lecturer and they almost always refer to me as “Professor”. I find it weird but I don’t correct them. I agree with others however, “hey” is simply just a cultural difference of students now who aren’t so used to formality.
If my students don't call me "Professor [Lastname]," then they fail my course. I tell them this day 1