Does your college’s president have a nickname? We’re not talking about one of those prep-school nicknames like “Skipper” or “Bitsy,” or a pet name given by a lover — say, “Sugar Puss” or “Bun Buns.”
We mean a nickname given or at least used by the students.
At the University of Pennsylvania, for example, President Amy Gutman is known as “A-Gut.” We’ve seen Barnard College’s Debora L. Spar referred to as “DSpar” (no hyphen, apparently). And at New York University, John Sexton is (snicker, snicker) “J-Sex.”
Which set us to wondering … what other college presidents have names that lend them to such treatment?
Here are a couple to get you started:
Bennington College President Elizabeth Coleman = “E-Cole”
President Eduardo J. Padrón of Miami Dade College = “E-Pad”
President Bobby Fong of Butler University could easily be “B-Fong,” but he already has a nickname: “BoFo.” And when William G. Bowen was president of Princeton University, students abbreviated “Bill Bowen” to “Bilbo,” though probably not to his face.
What would your president’s name be if you followed the “A-Gut” and “J-Sex” model? What clever nickname have students given your president? Tell us in the comments (but please, play nice). —Don Troop (aka D-Troo)
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47 Responses to Move Over, A-Rod and J. Lo. Meet A-Gut, Dspar, and J-Sex
evan7257 - October 15, 2010 at 3:56 pm
At Rice, President Leebron is often referred to as “Bron-Bron”
vegetarian - October 15, 2010 at 3:59 pm
In my first undergraduate college, the College President was merely “Prexy”.
cwtarver - October 15, 2010 at 4:04 pm
An April Fool’s issue of the campus newspaper once referred to UMBC’s Freeman Hrabowski as “Free Diddy,” which stuck with some folks.
paulaanderson - October 15, 2010 at 4:05 pm
At Macalester, Brian Rosenberg is B-Ro
spobsu1 - October 15, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I’ve heard students refer to our President as “JoGo”
utulsa01 - October 15, 2010 at 4:09 pm
At
upstate - October 15, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Not exactly an answer to your question but: long ago, my room mate and I named the mouse in our newly built dorm after the university president. Unimaginatively, we just called the mouse Pres “X.” We were rather sad when the custodians caught him.
academicewu2 - October 15, 2010 at 4:12 pm
President Arevalo is affectionately known as “Dr. A” at Eastern Washington University.
22228715 - October 15, 2010 at 4:16 pm
At Case Western Reserve University, students regularly refer to President Barbara Snyder (in print and verbally, and usually affectionately, but rarely in her presence) as “Babs.”
wsubutch - October 15, 2010 at 4:20 pm
At Washington State University, I have heard President Elson Floyd referred as E-Flo (some use eFlo).
mizzou1 - October 15, 2010 at 4:26 pm
@wsubutch I can confirm that when Elson Floyd was the President at the University of Missouri (immediately prior to joining you at WSU), there were a number of students and staff alike who referred to him as “E-Flo”…I don’t know if they did so to his face. I know one of those staffers (and possible reader of this comment) may claim authorship of this moniker, but this staffer has a history of spurious claims…and we should check w/ Western Michigan (E-Flo’s institution prior to Missouri).
kelleen - October 15, 2010 at 4:26 pm
At Texas A&M our current President is Bowen Loftin. He always wears a bow tie and is usually pretty calm and low-key. So perhaps he could be called BoLoft!
kathy7719 - October 15, 2010 at 4:26 pm
she already came with a nickname – it’s BIDDY. don’t know her real name.
marktropolis - October 15, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Carleton’s President Emeritus Steve Lewis was known as Skeetch. Probably still known that way by alumni.
abcpwood - October 15, 2010 at 4:31 pm
At Columbia University, President Lee Bollinger is affectionately known as Prez-Bo.
11182967 - October 15, 2010 at 4:32 pm
And if the WSU president raises a buck for the institution is that an Eflo Dollar?
lakemendota - October 15, 2010 at 4:33 pm
See Biddy here near the end of the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVAZXZfIlNk
dr_redrum - October 15, 2010 at 4:39 pm
The previous one was was “Big Mac.”
The current one is “sixty-eight.”
22236026 - October 15, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Our President is affectionately called J-Grein following the pattern provided by the article and the truth is, most students do refer to him with that nickname!
suziemus - October 15, 2010 at 5:01 pm
A mention of “Papa Loc,” our former President at Santa Clara University who passed away recently. (Fr. Paul Locatelli, S.J. – May he rest in peace.)
prgreen - October 15, 2010 at 5:10 pm
At Seattle Pacific University, they refer to Phil Eaton as Phil-Dog.
mr_tibs - October 15, 2010 at 5:34 pm
TAMUCC The Flav.
occidentalir - October 15, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Not a president, but when economics professor Roger Noll was at Caltech, the students sometimes called him “Roger Null Set” after a 1970s Doonesbury cartoon which featured a student demonstration attended by a student from “CIT” who rather than speaking English, spoke computer/engineering jargon, i.e. “Null set. Roger.”
dtroop - October 15, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Some good ones here, but please be sure to tell the name of your colleges, too. Thanks!
tcnjresed1 - October 15, 2010 at 5:55 pm
At my school, I have heard our president affectionately referred as “The Git”
don_heller - October 15, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I don’t know if anyone calls him this, but I would think that “G-Span” would work for President Graham Spanier of Penn State
dtroop - October 15, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Apparently Graham Spanier actually IS called G-Span. Here are several that just showed up in the e-mail:
Syracuse — Chancy Nancy (Nancy Cantor)
Coastal Carolina — D.A.D (David A. DeCenzo)
Ball State — JoGo (Jo Ann M. Gora)
Penn State — G-Span (Graham Spanier)
Columbia — Prezbo (Lee Bollinger)
Beloit — ScottyB (Scott Bierman)
GWU — The Knapper (Steve Knapp)
Fordham: DaddyMac (Joseph MacShane)
U Pitt: Nordy (Mark Nordenberg)
CUA: Father O (Father David O’Connell)
bstevens - October 15, 2010 at 8:13 pm
At Kansas State University, Captain Kirk (Kirk Shulz)
josh7855 - October 15, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Berkeley: Robert Birgeneau is Birgy
ccervant - October 15, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Steven Sample, Emeritus President from the University of Southern California used to be referred to as “Sparky” reflecting his engineering background. There was a rumor that he had something to do with the invention of the microwave, not sure though.
shimes - October 16, 2010 at 12:44 am
At Biola University in La Mirada, CA, our new president’s nickname is “the DBC” or just DBC, which stands for Dr. Barry Corey.
lost_angeleno - October 16, 2010 at 8:01 pm
At the college he inhabited before becoming president of Texas A & M, he was known simply as “lofie.” Something about his attitude, I’m told.
lost_angeleno - October 16, 2010 at 8:02 pm
That was “loftie.”
jakiyama7 - October 16, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Grinnell College recently got a new president.
Former President Russell K. Osgood – RKO
New President Raynard Kington – RK2
22221757 - October 16, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Jim Clements at wvu is called – “do nothing” – it doesn’t really rhyme, but it is fairly descriptive.
nyhist - October 18, 2010 at 6:48 am
Biddy’s real name is Carolyn.
chguk - October 18, 2010 at 9:21 am
At Michigan, ex-president James Duderstadt is referred to as “The Dude”.
mikerichichi - October 18, 2010 at 10:05 am
At Drew, Bob Weisbuch is semi-offically referred to as “Pres Bob”, usually pronounced “PrezBob”, like SpongeBob.
mrhammond - October 18, 2010 at 10:08 am
When I was at William & Mary, our President was Timothy J. Sullivan. I have fond memories of the many stories of “Timmy J”…
washingtonwarrior - October 18, 2010 at 10:39 am
Former Iowa Central Community College President Robert Paxton was known as “Frank the Tank.”
http://deadspin.com/5041670/this-man-isnt-doing-much-to-help-negative-community-college-stereotypes-or-mini+keg-sales
alf2010 - October 18, 2010 at 10:46 am
When I was a student at Richmond, the students called President Cooper “Cooper Scooper.” I don’t think it was meant to be negative, just funny.
ktgoblue - October 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm
When Lee Bollinger was at Michigan, myself and some others of my acquaintance called him Lee-CB, but that was more because it was his “uniqname” (aka the login part of his email address), and for whatever reason, during that time on campus a lot of students called each other by their uniqname.
clairesgould - October 18, 2010 at 8:49 pm
At Connecticut College, President Lee Higdon is affectionately called “Big Hig.”
ps720 - October 19, 2010 at 8:59 am
Kennesaw State University affectionately calls President Dan Papp “Papp Daddy”
collrel - October 19, 2010 at 12:09 pm
At Buffalo State College, students affectionately call President Aaron Podolefsky, “A-Pod.”
mddeeg - October 20, 2010 at 11:24 am
University of Oklahoma – we call President David Boren Papa B or D-Bo.
commpr - November 4, 2010 at 3:57 pm
At Gettysburg College, students refer to Pres. Janet Morgan Riggs by her initials “JMR.” You will hear students say something like, “Did you see JMR in the Dining Hall yesterday?”