Obama vindicated on law-school title

[Verily]

No, it's not "resume inflation". You went to college once, right? Did you call any of your teachers anything but "professor"? No, but I guarantee a goodly number of them were only lecturers, not "full" professors, and any of them would have described themselves as professors casually. It's colloquial English.

At my school, you called a professor, "Professor" and a non professor "Dr./Mr/Mrs./Ms./Miss."  They would not describe themselves some other way, either.

In writing, they would use the correct title, like "Associate Professor" or "Assistant Professor," or a full professor would simply be "Professor."  Now conversationally, all three would be "Professor" by not in writing with a job description.  And no, someone without a professorship would not be addressed as "Professor."

As I said, a bit of puffery; it could have been a staff member doing it.

Well, as someone who went to college much more recently, you never use any title but "professor" any more: no "doctor", no "mister", no "missus". Of course, even using titles is going out of fashion: my Arabic professor went by her first name.

[Lunar]

Yes, and many times you aren't aware of who is a senior lecturer and who is a professor.

Since Obama was offered several times *to be* a tenure-track professor, I don't see how he is making himself up to be anything significantly more than he is.  As the Dean of U Chicago said, the terms are informally interchangeable and it's completely acceptable for someone in his shoes to say he was a professor.

[J. J.]

Yes, and many times you aren't aware of who is a senior lecturer and who is a professor.

Since Obama was offered several times *to be* a tenure-track professor, I don't see how he is making himself up to be anything significantly more than he is.  As the Dean of U Chicago said, the terms are informally interchangeable and it's completely acceptable for someone in his shoes to say he was a professor.

Accept the Dean didn't really say that.  Likewise, this isn't what his students are calling him informally.  It is a matter of how his campaign, at least, represents his credentials.

If McCain would claim to be an admiral (he wasn't), it would be the same situation.

[Lunar]

Yes, and many times you aren't aware of who is a senior lecturer and who is a professor.

Since Obama was offered several times *to be* a tenure-track professor, I don't see how he is making himself up to be anything significantly more than he is.  As the Dean of U Chicago said, the terms are informally interchangeable and it's completely acceptable for someone in his shoes to say he was a professor.

Accept the Dean didn't really say that.  Likewise, this isn't what his students are calling him informally.  It is a matter of how his campaign, at least, represents his credentials.

If McCain would claim to be an admiral (he wasn't), it would be the same situation.

Did anyone ever call McCain an admiral?  Was he ever offered to become an admiral?

Here is what the University of Chicago had to say:

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So it's not as if McCain claimed to be an admiral and then the US Navy came in and agreed.  Obama doesn't even really claim to be a professor, it was just a low-level mailer.  But UC says he could claim this if he wanted to.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0308/Obama_vindicated_on_lawschool_title.html

[J. J.]

Did anyone ever call McCain an admiral?  Was he ever offered to become an admiral?

He possibly could have been (he left on grade below that, a Captain).  Whether or not someone called him that or not, informally, is relevant.  A few months ago, someone referred to me, in writing, as "Doctor."  That doesn't give me a doctorate.

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[/quote]

I underlined the relevant parts.  You will note that UC never says he was an actual "professor."

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McCain actually had a successful command and might have been named an admiral but for his injuries as a POW, but even there, he might have had responsibilities that commensurate with those of some admirals.   It still wouldn't be legitimate to call him one.

Now, I'm not taking anything away from Obama's abilities, but it was still incorrect to call him a "professor."

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Did anyone ever call McCain an admiral?  Was he ever offered to become an admiral?

No.  Thanks to the time he lost as a POW, and the physical abuse he suffered then, his career stalled at Captain.  Had he not been shot down, he likely would have made flag rank as his father and grandfather did, though full Admiral would not have been certain.

What will be interesting will be the 2009 Annapolis graduation of John S. McCain IV if his dad is President.

[J. J.]

I really think this was an error of a staffer.

I took a look at the first Wikipedia entry that gave a bio on Obama.  Here is the key line:

"He then found work at a civil rights law firm, and became a lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Chicago."

Revision as of 05:49, 18 March 2004

The campaign probably should have said it was an error and corrected it.

[Alcon]

I've asked my dad, who is a tenured professor, about this, and he pretty much confirms what several people in this thread have said.  He says it is not uncommon at all to informally use this.  In fact, he often sees the phrase "non-tenure track professor" on job applications.  This is at worst an oversight, and at best a thoughtless mistake.

(And you can't disagree with me because I know someone with a title!!!)

Well, not a professor.

No, but there's a difference between a resume and a voter's guide list of credentials - who wrote them.  As J. J. said, it makes staffer error very likely.  He would have been widely referred to as a "professor of (whatever)."  Unless Obama himself or someone who knows the distinction wrote it, an honest error is extremely likely.