Whether its a coffee mug or another personal token of appreciation, i think it perfectly doable an nice. It should be personally tailored to the person and not expensive though.
I say this every time a student (grad or undergrad) posts this. All we want is a kind card. Other gifts–while kind in gesture–make us uncomfortable due to the power difference.
If in the US just check what is the max monetary value of a gift a university employee can receive and keep for personal use. Sometimes it is $50.00 or $100.00 depending on the university or the state. If the gift is pricier than that it may remain as Departmental and/or University property, or may be discarded.
Depends on the gift policy. As someone who has (and loves) an ember mug, I personally would not feel comfortable accepting such an expensive gift from a student. I think a normal coffee mug would be a safer bet.
A card/email/note is all most of us really want, and will be appreciated. Sometimes students gift me things they have made, and I cherish those– be it a piece of art (!!!) or a friendship bracelent they wove on Saturday night. But expensives gifts are really not appropriate and will make people very uncomfortable in many situations (or could even be forbidden by policy at public institutions).
I love the notes/cards/etc and especially the little homemade things. But I’d be really offput by an expensive gift of something purchased for me. The exception, personally, is when I have an international student graduate and they gift me something from their home country…I have a little shelf in my office of such things and I love looking at them. But those tend to be art or cultural items, not high-tech mugs.
I had a PhD student get me a really nice gift (on the order of ~$100) a couple years ago. I understood why, there were some special circumstances where I went above and beyond for them, but it still made me uncomfortable. Not only do I make 4 times their salary but mentorship is a duty owed to my advisees.
A card with a heartfelt message is something that we’ll treasure. Your success is what makes this job worthwhile. So write a card, then after your graduation go out there and kill it, and help your prof feel like they’re making a difference in the world.
A card is fine. A small, cheap contribution to the office emergency snacks bowl of something from your local culture or region doesn’t cross the line because it will be eaten by other students. Anything more is awkward, particularly if I’m going to give you either a very good or very bad grade…
Random story, when I graduated my PhD I got my professor of card. But instead of a thank you card, I got him a congratulations card.
It was a goofy looking guy smiling into the camera with two thumbs up. And I told him congratulations for getting another PhD student through, or something like that.
My university’s policy is that student gifts to faculty should only have nominal value–the benchmark they use is “the price a cup of coffee.” It gets stretched a little, for example students have given me small souvenirs from their hometown or places where they did fieldwork, but the Ember would definitely be out of bounds here.
I know this is a dirty word on Reddit, but context is important.
If it’s a quid pro quo gift — say you want a better grade — then obviously it’s unethical no matter what.
If your professor provided a service to you that’s well within the typical bounds of a professor’s duty — a good class experience, helpful office hours, etc — then I tend to agree with the consensus here; keep it handwritten or handcrafted.
But if your professor provided you something outside those typical expectations — extra mentorship support, tutoring, maybe they helped you talk through a tough breakup — you should use your own genuine emotional language to gift give and show appreciation.
The concept that gifts automatically accentuate the power dynamic only serves to reinforce that power dynamic. Some people are intimidated by that dynamic; and some work to keep that boundary up; others, like myself, would rather tear it down.
If a student were to ask me if I would accept a gift, I would absolutely tell the student to spend the money on themselves for working their butts off rather than buying something for me – go splurge on a meal, get a spa day ect . I keep every card a student has ever gotten me – things break or get lost through use. The better way to make a lasting impact on the professor is actually the card
I googled the cost and this is way too much. Give them a card or a regular coffee mug. I’d most likely have to report this and return it or give it away.
If they were retiring maybe…better yet wait until they retire for a more expensive gift
A gift card, a sincere thank you note, or even a hand painted mug would mean much more. You should never give an expensive gift to someone has a position of power over you in an academic or employment situation.
My mom’s students (she taught nursing) always gave her elaborate gifts and she always felt bad they spent their money on her. Also one time they gave her a fish which was just an insane gift to give anyone lol.
I’m happy with a nice email or a card at the very most. I appreciate the thought, but tbh I have enough stuff, I really don’t need any more and these types of gifts just tend to gather dust on a bookshelf. For me, the best gift is knowing that my efforts in teaching and mentoring were appreciated.
Comments
I think it’s really sweet.
Whether its a coffee mug or another personal token of appreciation, i think it perfectly doable an nice. It should be personally tailored to the person and not expensive though.
I say this every time a student (grad or undergrad) posts this. All we want is a kind card. Other gifts–while kind in gesture–make us uncomfortable due to the power difference.
Yeah it’s ok. Maybe having their name engraved is a little over the top unless they supervised your PhD thesis.
If in the US just check what is the max monetary value of a gift a university employee can receive and keep for personal use. Sometimes it is $50.00 or $100.00 depending on the university or the state. If the gift is pricier than that it may remain as Departmental and/or University property, or may be discarded.
Depends on the gift policy. As someone who has (and loves) an ember mug, I personally would not feel comfortable accepting such an expensive gift from a student. I think a normal coffee mug would be a safer bet.
A card/email/note is all most of us really want, and will be appreciated. Sometimes students gift me things they have made, and I cherish those– be it a piece of art (!!!) or a friendship bracelent they wove on Saturday night. But expensives gifts are really not appropriate and will make people very uncomfortable in many situations (or could even be forbidden by policy at public institutions).
I love the notes/cards/etc and especially the little homemade things. But I’d be really offput by an expensive gift of something purchased for me. The exception, personally, is when I have an international student graduate and they gift me something from their home country…I have a little shelf in my office of such things and I love looking at them. But those tend to be art or cultural items, not high-tech mugs.
Get. A. Card.
I had a PhD student get me a really nice gift (on the order of ~$100) a couple years ago. I understood why, there were some special circumstances where I went above and beyond for them, but it still made me uncomfortable. Not only do I make 4 times their salary but mentorship is a duty owed to my advisees.
A card with a heartfelt message is something that we’ll treasure. Your success is what makes this job worthwhile. So write a card, then after your graduation go out there and kill it, and help your prof feel like they’re making a difference in the world.
A card is fine. A small, cheap contribution to the office emergency snacks bowl of something from your local culture or region doesn’t cross the line because it will be eaten by other students. Anything more is awkward, particularly if I’m going to give you either a very good or very bad grade…
Random story, when I graduated my PhD I got my professor of card. But instead of a thank you card, I got him a congratulations card.
It was a goofy looking guy smiling into the camera with two thumbs up. And I told him congratulations for getting another PhD student through, or something like that.
I thought it was pretty funny :p
My university’s policy is that student gifts to faculty should only have nominal value–the benchmark they use is “the price a cup of coffee.” It gets stretched a little, for example students have given me small souvenirs from their hometown or places where they did fieldwork, but the Ember would definitely be out of bounds here.
I know this is a dirty word on Reddit, but context is important.
If it’s a quid pro quo gift — say you want a better grade — then obviously it’s unethical no matter what.
If your professor provided a service to you that’s well within the typical bounds of a professor’s duty — a good class experience, helpful office hours, etc — then I tend to agree with the consensus here; keep it handwritten or handcrafted.
But if your professor provided you something outside those typical expectations — extra mentorship support, tutoring, maybe they helped you talk through a tough breakup — you should use your own genuine emotional language to gift give and show appreciation.
The concept that gifts automatically accentuate the power dynamic only serves to reinforce that power dynamic. Some people are intimidated by that dynamic; and some work to keep that boundary up; others, like myself, would rather tear it down.
If a student were to ask me if I would accept a gift, I would absolutely tell the student to spend the money on themselves for working their butts off rather than buying something for me – go splurge on a meal, get a spa day ect . I keep every card a student has ever gotten me – things break or get lost through use. The better way to make a lasting impact on the professor is actually the card
I googled the cost and this is way too much. Give them a card or a regular coffee mug. I’d most likely have to report this and return it or give it away.
If they were retiring maybe…better yet wait until they retire for a more expensive gift
I have a collection of cards pinned to the fridge 🙂 get a card 🙂
A gift card, a sincere thank you note, or even a hand painted mug would mean much more. You should never give an expensive gift to someone has a position of power over you in an academic or employment situation.
My mom’s students (she taught nursing) always gave her elaborate gifts and she always felt bad they spent their money on her. Also one time they gave her a fish which was just an insane gift to give anyone lol.
give a plant and a card! just make sure you tell them it’s okay if they kill the plant.
We did for our supervisor’s birthday, but it was from all of us as a group so each paid reasonable amount.
I’m happy with a nice email or a card at the very most. I appreciate the thought, but tbh I have enough stuff, I really don’t need any more and these types of gifts just tend to gather dust on a bookshelf. For me, the best gift is knowing that my efforts in teaching and mentoring were appreciated.
If your work involved apparatus, a small piece from it mounted for display would be cool.
Don’t do it- it’s a kind sentiment but it’s awkward. And if they work for the state, they may be prohibited from accepting gifts over a small amount.
I wouldn’t be allowed to keep it. Either you’d have to take it back or it would be given to the compliance office.