WHAT’S IN A TITLE?
BY DR. AGNIA GRIGAS
I vividly recollect defending my Doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford in a drafty stone-work room that dated back half a millennium. That was in 2010 but it feels like yesterday. The defense examination called a “Viva Voce” at Oxford required an oral defense in front of two Oxford professors of my written dissertation that spanned 320 pages containing 100,000 plus words.
As tradition required, I was in academic “subfusc” formal dress and “gown” giving me the look of someone from a Harry Potter movie except for the fact of my advanced pregnancy. It was a momentous day after years dedicated to my research, subject, and degree. Thus, I, like so many in the scholarly community, was disappointed to read last week’s dismissive Wall Street Journal op-ed on Dr. Jill Biden’s use of her earned title “Dr.”
This criticism was not confined to Dr. Biden but was an even more wide-ranging attack on academic titles and graduate education generally. The piece has exposed a rift in American culture. Some people outside the academic community may understandably be confused about when a person should be referred to as “Dr.” The good news is that the arrival of the first ever American First Lady to have earned a doctorate degree offers the American public an excellent opportunity to learn. The only U.S. president to hold a PhD degree was also one of the nation’s greatest presidents: Woodrow Wilson.
In the early years after I received my doctorate degree, I was proud to be introduced as “Dr. Grigas” in professional settings while in my personal life I was now also a “Mrs.” and a “mom.” At those times when I did use the title “Dr.,” people quite often just assumed that I was a medical doctor. This confusion is common enough that some media outlets including CNN refer only to medical doctors as “Dr.” according to their stylebook. Over the years I have generally chosen to be introduced as “Dr. Grigas” for speaking engagements and bylines especially when it is within the context of my policy or scholarly field. At other times I have selected “Agnia Grigas, PhD” for more general audiences or business engagements.
The question that the Wall Street Journal op-ed clumsily raised should not have been whether Dr. Biden should use her “Dr.” honorific—she has earned the doctorate degree and she has already made the choice to have that fact recognized. The more useful question would be, when in doubt, what honorific should we use vis-a-vis an individual with a doctoral degree? While this can depend on context, first and foremost politeness and respect should guide our decision.
The next time you are uncertain about what to call someone, it would be best to let generosity, kindness, and respect determine the choice, particularly to those in the service professions.
In professional, academic, and policy worlds, someone who has earned a doctorate degree will in nearly all professional contexts be referred to as “Dr.” Beyond a formal setting, the “Dr.” in question will almost always ask you to call her by her first name. Keep in mind however that in university settings “Dr.” may not actually be a sufficient honorific even for someone who possesses a doctorate. The honorific “Professor” is the appropriate form of address for those on a tenured-track professorship. I had made this faux pas during my Master’s studies at Oxford, listing my supervisor as “Dr.” rather than “Professor,” a mistake which had seating implications at a formal dinner, but was fortunately caught and corrected.
From my experience in Washington, D.C., policy circles, individuals who have acquired a doctorate do appreciate recognition of their credentials and expertise especially in an age where partisan slogans, social media soundbites, and journalistic gloss dominate many issue debates. Similarly, a member of Congress should always be addressed as Senator or Congresswoman, not Mr. or Ms.
Honorifics are important in many service fields: education, medicine, diplomacy, public safety where individuals are often rewarded as much by the respect their role is accorded as by financial compensation. For example, consider the protocols with U.S. military service men and women. You will not make any friends calling a “Marine” a “soldier.” Marines have a mission, training, history, and even uniform distinct from soldiers of the U.S. Army. Neither should a sailor or an airman be referred to as “soldier.” If pulled over by a police officer, most people have the courtesy—or self-preservation instincts—to call the person “officer” rather than Joe or Jill.
It would be specious to claim that credentials and titles do not matter in egalitarian American society. As consumers we often greatly care about credentials. A patient wants to know whether he is being seen by a nurse, resident, or doctor. A patient even cares at which medical schools clinicians have acquired their credentials. A university student cares whether the class will be taught by a professor or a TA. As a founder of an education service for elementary school aged students, Monster Education, I can confirm that parents care whether their 1st grader’s math enrichment class is being taught by a certified teacher or not, whether by someone with or without a graduate degree.
The next time you are uncertain about what to call someone, it would be best to let generosity, kindness, and respect determine the choice, particularly to those in the service professions.
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Dr. Agnia Grigas is a Pacific Council member, an author of three books on foreign policy, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., and founder of Monster Education.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.
