Academic Titles
President Gregory P. Crawford
On first reference, use full formal title: President Gregory P. Crawford. For subsequent references, President Crawford or the president are acceptable. Never use "Crawford" as a standalone reference.
Dr. Renate Crawford
On first reference, use full formal title: University Ambassador Dr. Renate Crawford. For subsequent references, Dr. Crawford is acceptable. Never use "Crawford" as a standalone reference.
When listed jointly with President Crawford, choose an acceptable format based on the type of communication. Generally, all communications should use both full titles. However, small-scale marketing materials have greater flexibility to use the acceptable shortened titles.
- President Gregory P. Crawford and University Ambassador Dr. Renate Crawford.
- President Crawford and Dr. Crawford.
Provost
On first reference, use full formal title: University Provost Elizabeth Mullenix. For subsequent references, Provost Mullenix or the provost are acceptable. Never use "Osborne" as a standalone reference.
administration
Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as chair, provost, vice president when they stand alone or precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere.
- Miami University Chair John Doe
- Jane Doe, vice president of marketing, held a meeting today.
- John Doe, associate provost, met with students.
Office of the President (Executive Cabinet)
Follow guidance in titles (general)
Office of the President (Staff)
Follow guidance in titles (general)
college dean
Capitalize and spell out full formal title when it stands alone or precedes a name:
- College of Computing and Engineering Dean John Doe.
When used in a sentence, the full title always follows the name and is lowercase, unless the title is part of a proper noun. Also, include the department of which the dean is a faculty member:
- Jane Doe, dean of the College of Creative Arts and professor of Theatre, is hosting a seminar.
- John Doe, dean of the Farmer School of Business and the Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership, approved the curriculum updates.
For subsequent references, Dean Doe or the dean are acceptable.
doctor (title)
Follow AP Style. Do not use "Dr." before the names of faculty who hold other types of doctoral degrees other than a medical degree. If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone's credentials, it is preferable to use a clarifying phrase:
- Jane Doe, who holds a doctorate in mathematics, led the research team.
In a list, headline, profile, biography, or standalone reference: Jane Doe, Ph.D.
In many cases, for clearer context, it is better to specify a faculty member's area of expertise outside of their doctoral degree. For instance, "John Doe, an expert in racial psychology..." provides more information than listing academic credentials.
Miami's Editorial Guidelines for courtesy titles extend to visiting guests or dignitaries who also hold doctoral degrees other than a medical degree.
Beloved figures and notable Miami alumni:
names
Use only last names on second reference. When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name, generally use the first and last name on subsequent references.
Additionally, use the name a person prefers: "Thomas" or "Tom," depending on preference.
professor (title)
Follow AP style. Never abbreviate.
Lowercase before a name, but capitalize "Professor Emeritus" as a conferred title before a name. Drop "professor" in subsequent reference, unless part of a quotation.
- Jane Doe, professor of Chemistry, held class virtually; Doe recorded the class for future research.
- professor Doe
- Professor Emeritus Jane Doe
professorships
Use full name and title on first reference. Drop title in subsequent reference, unless part of a quotation.
- Melissa Thomasson, chair and Julian Lange Professor of Economics, addressed the department.
- Po-Chang Chen, Endres Associate Professor Fellow and associate professor of Accountancy, started class Wednesday.
- Jim Friedman, White Family Associate Clinical Professor and associate clinical professor of Entrepreneurship, created the course.
titles (general)
When it stands alone, place title before the name and capitalize the full title.
- Associate Professor John Doe
- Dean Jane Doe
When used in a sentence, the title always follows the name and is lowercase, unless the title is part of a proper noun.
- John Doe, professor of Biology, released final grades.
- Jane Doe, dean of the College of XX, holds open office hours.
- Jane Doe, associate provost, met with the executive cabinet.