| How to Address thePresident of a College or UniversityOfficial Envelope: Dr. (Full name) President (College/university) (Address) _(Full name), (academic degree) President (College/university) (Address)_Letter salutation: Dear President (surname): Dear Dr. (surname): FYI, here is what's come in to the Blog that relates to this office/rank. For recent questions sent in, check out Robert Hickey's Blog. For specific offices/ranks, check out Robert Hickey's On-Line Guide. How to Write a University President's Name ? I need to list the board of advisers for a new literary journal. I have reviewed your online guide, which is very helpful, but still have a question. Should I use President as an honorific for the university president? Thank you for your solicitude and assistance! **-- Brian H.**Dear BH: I include all the forms of address for academics in my book, and traditionally President is an organizational office ... and the holder is addressed however he or she is normally addressed in writing ... Mr./Ms./Mrs./Dr., etc. ... and then, after their name noted to be president of ... So traditionally university presidents would typically be ... most formally in writing: Dr. (Full Name), President of The University of (Whatever) However ... in recent years president (as is chancellor at universities where that's the title of the office) is more and more frequently being used as an honorific. So the wisest path would be to call his office and ask what is their practice. -- Robert Hickey How to Write the Names of a University President and Spouse on an Wedding Invitation? I love your book, but have a question about University Presidents. I am working on a wedding invitation where the father of the bride is the president of a university. He also holds several honorary doctorates. When invitations go out from the university we use "President and Mrs. John Jones request the pleasure . . ." Should the wedding invitation be worded as "President and Mrs." , "Dr. and Mrs." or "President Dr. and Mrs."? Also, when dealing with an honorary doctorate, do you write out "Doctor" on formal invitations as you do with medical doctors? -- Evelyn Cotton Dear Ms. Cotton, Definitely not "President Dr." Two honorifics are not traditionally combined in the United States. Is he typically addressed as Dr. Jones? Recipients of honorary doctorates are not addressed as Dr., but every president of a university I've ever encountered held a doctorate in his or her own right ... so check on that. If you want to be the most formal it would be: Dr. John Jones and Mrs. Jones Dr. and Mrs. John Jones ... is O.K. ... just less formal than the form above. Regarding the abbreviation of doctor, "Dr." is O.K. even on formal invitations. Dr., Mr., Mrs. are abbreviations all used on invitations. Regarding use of' President as an honorific ... e.g. calling him President Jones. Only the President of the United States is most formally addresed in writing as "The President." Other presidents are normally addressed by whatever honorific they are entitled to ... Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. and then identified by their office as in: Dr. John Jones, President of the University of Delaware -- Robert Hickey All information on www.formsofaddress.info is copyright © 2010 by Robert Hickey.The Protocol School of Washington® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.Honor & Respect is dedicated to Dorothea Johnson, Founder of The Protocol School of Washington® |
