The Thank-a-Professor Program is a way students can formally show their appreciation to the professors who have had a positive impact on their experience at SDSU.
The executive director and Center for Professional Enrichment and Teaching Excellence assistant professor, Kevin Sackreiter, started the Thank-a-Professor Program.
Sackreiter said that he started the program about 12 years ago after he got the idea from Stanford University.
The Thank-a-Professor program was started at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Dr. Emily Schmitt Lavin, a faculty member at NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, proposed the program.
Since then, universities across the United States have used the Thank-a-Professor Program to encourage student appreciation for their instructors, promote positive faculty morale and foster a stronger sense of community.
Just saying thank you can be beneficial, said Sackreiter. Saying thank you expresses gratitude, which can significantly improve relationships by making others feel valued and appreciated. It can boost your own mood and well-being, and even have positive physiological effects like reducing stress levels and promoting relaxation.
“I like the idea of an anonymous platform,” said Sackreiter, “A platform for students to just say thank you to their professors. I thought it would be a great opportunity for students to do.”
When the program first started, Sackreiter got over 100 ‘thank-you’ forms each semester. Now, he said he typically receives around 40 to 50 forms every semester. He said there are many other platforms where students can say thank you, so the numbers have gone down through the years.
It seems many students don’t know about this program. Students often bypass bulletin boards, skipping over the opportunities that they provide. The poster for the thank-you program competes with many others on bulletin boards across campus and can go unnoticed.
“I had no idea that there was a program for that,” said Rachel Huizenga, an SDSU student, “In the past, I’ve just emailed them at the end of the semester to thank them.”
Sackreiter said that they do receive a lot of not-so-friendly forms from students. But, all the forms go through Sackreiter himself, so he refrains from sending the negative forms.
“This platform was made to spread positivity, but I have received some negative forms,” Sackreiter said.
Sackreiter sends the positive forms to the professors and also to their supervisors as well. Sackreiter wants to show their supervisors the gratitude that professors are receiving.
The process of filling out a ‘thank-you’ form is simple. There are posters hanging all around campus. On those posters, there is a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone, and it will take you to a form that you can fill out.
There is also a webpage on SDSU’s website. On this webpage, you’ll find the same form, allowing you to fill out your information, the professor’s information, and why you’re choosing to say thank you.
