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)
    Sometimes president (as is chancellor at universities where that's the title of the office) is used as an honorific.  But traditionally being a president is considered to be more of an office one holds rather than a personal rank.  
               -- 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.  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.
      Formally it would be either:
               Dr. John Jones and Mrs. Jones
      Or:
               Dr. and Mrs. John Jones
     The latter is also O.K., it is just less formal than the first form, but is useful when the name is long and space is an issue (clearly not with a name like John Jones.)
     Regarding the abbreviation of doctor, Dr. is correct even on formal invitations. Dr., Mr., Mrs. are abbreviations all used on invitations.
     University presidents are not typically addressed as President (Surname) except in circumstance where they are in the midst of their official duties and someone wants to emphasize his/her office.  University presidents are normally addressed by whatever honorific they are entitled to, typically Dr. and then identified by their office as in:
              Dr. John Jones, President of the University of Delaware
       -- Robert Hickey

How to Address Former University President?
        How does one address a former University President – introduction, place card, conversation, etc.?
       -- PM-CA @ HUCO-WH

Dear PM-CA.,
      There is no special form of address for a former university president, so in conversation or on a place card they go back to whatever they were before serving -- which is most likely Dr.
      In an full introduction he or she would be identified as the President of XYZ University from 1998 to 2006.
      I like including the span of years better than former -- which sound so has been.
        -- Robert Hickey

How to Address a Former Chancellor?
       How does one address a former chancellor of a state university?
      -- Agnes Martin

Dear Ms. Martin,
      A former chancellor goes back to whatever form of address he or she was entitled to before he or she was chancellor. 
      Typically that's Dr. (Full Name) & Dr. (Surname).
      There is only one chancellor at a time at the University.  So it's not respectful to the current office holder to address his or her predecessors with the forms of address reserved for the office.
      If you want to identify the person as a former chancellor -- e.g., in a document or in a program ... identify him or her after his or her name: Chancellor, 1999-2008
      I prefer that to former Chancellor, since former can sound so has been.
      If this sort of thing comes up often I have the complete forms of address for every type of academic official, dean, Dr. professor, etc. in my book.
      -- Robert Hickey

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For forms of address for invitations, place cards, name badges, introductions, conversation, and all other formal uses, see Honor & Respect: the Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address.

Copyright © 2013 Robert Hickey.     All Rights Reserved.
Photo: Marc Goodman.