<p>I do think it is very much a matter of what one wants. When I was in college, I called many of the professors “Dr. _<strong><em>” but the ones in my program were on first-name basis. That’s what they preferred. One I called by first-name basis to her face and to others in the program, but to those outside the program it was still Dr. _</em></strong>. The other professor in the program was always first-name because nobody could say her last name correctly (That’s what she told us!). </p>
<p>I now work in the school where I went to high school. As you can imagine, many of the teachers and coaches are the same. Most of them are still Mr./Mrs./Coach ____ even though they are technically equals. But then some of them who weren’t my coach or teacher are more on a first-name basis. </p>
<p>My alma mater has a tradition that addresses this. The professors come up to the students after commencement and introduce themselves by their first names. It’s a sign that the old relationship is over and a new one is beginning. That being said, there were some I called by first names before that. </p>
<p>Variations where I teach include a shrinking number of first names (things seem to be becoming more formal lately), Dr or Prof X, last name only (especially in student-student interactions) and in a couple of cases, initials.</p>
<p>As a member of the adjunct faculty, I prefer to be called Dr. Lastname. Even though I say at the beginning of the semester, some of the students will try to address me as “miss” or some such, which seems grossly inappropriate (what? I’m the waitress?). I have had a few who tried to use the first name, which I quickly curbed. </p>
<p>I’ve had Profs who’ve invited me to dine/drink with them in bars and/or their homes during undergrad/grad. With one exception, they all preferred being referred to as Prof/Dr. [lastname]. </p>
<p>D1 is currently in grad school. I don’t know how she addresses various faculty, but I do know that her advisor/mentor told all his grad students that they are colleagues now and to please address him by his first name.</p>
<p>About a third of the time I didn’t remember my professor’s name so if I needed to address them I just said “professor.” My research adviser had a lot of undergrads doing research for her and we all called her by her first name. I don’t think I ever called any other professors by their first name when addressing them, but if I was mentioning them to another student we might use their first name. </p>
<p>Never really went drinking with professors. I was at a conference (in a country where the drinking age is 18 but I was over 21 anyway) where there was alcohol served and we all had some, but it wasn’t quite the same as going to a bar with a professor. </p>
<p>At community college it was as far as I remember Mr./Mrs. LastName because they’re not professors. There was one who would continuously correct anyone who called him “professor.”</p>
<p>In undergrad, we went to the bar with our professors on a study abroad but not during a regular class that I can remember. Brunch quite often, lol.
In grad school, I’ve had class in a bar quite a few times lol.</p>
<p>My teachers in community college were often published & had PhDs.
Most were called by their first name.
I’m surprised to hear of schools where they don’t have a phd. Here academia is quite competitive.</p>
<p>My kids addressed all of their professors as Dr. Lastname, even in grad. school, with the exception of a couple of adjuncts who didn’t have a Ph.D.; those instructors were called Mr. or Ms. Lastname. </p>
<p>When D1 was asked to teach a course last year, her students all addressed her as Ms. Silpat including two grad students who were clearly 20+ years her senior. She also lives in the South where I think the formality is more common. My dh uses first names and title/last name interchangeably with most of his coworkers, depending on the circumstances. In one-on-one casual conversations he uses first names, but when addressing someone at a meeting, for example, he will use Mr. or Ms. Lastname. He does this not just with those above him on the org chart but with his direct reports and all those further down the line, including maintenance staff and other support service personnel. While it may seem antiquated to some here, he’s gotten feedback (indirectly as well as directly) that folks appreciate the respect it signifies. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I have a relative who always insisted on using the title Professor even though he did not earn a Ph.D. (he was very defensive about that) and taught at a two year community college that eventually became a four year school. He would introduce himself as Professor Smith to everyone from medical office receptionists to strangers at a party. I don’t think he ever realized that people were not just put off by his pretension but some laughed about it behind his back.</p>
<p>I don’t have a PhD and I correct anyone who addresses me as Dr. Garland. However, at every school I’ve ever taught at, all instructors were “professor” whatever the extent of their credentials-- I have never heard that reserved for PhD’s before (of course, I’d never use the title out of school!).</p>
<p>I call most of my professors “Professor Lastname”, but I also do a lot of theatre and in the Drama department all the professors (bar one that I can think of) go by their first names. It’s a very different atmosphere there, though, far more collaborative than in a typical department. I imagine it’s the same for other small, concentrated departments, particularly in the arts.</p>