How to Write a Eulogy for Your Professor - Eulogy Examples & Tips

You want to honor someone who shaped your thinking and maybe your life. Saying goodbye to a professor is complicated. They might have been a mentor, a thorn in your side, a research champion, a comedic presence in lecture, or the person who called you out into the world. This guide helps you write a eulogy that feels real and grounded. You will get practical steps, examples you can use or adapt, templates for different relationships, and tips on delivery and logistics.

Everything here is written for people who want to speak with honesty and a bit of edge. We will explain academic terms that come up like PhD, TA, adjunct, and tenure. We will give short and long example eulogies for various professor types. If you are feeling raw, anxious, or stuck, these templates will help you find your words quickly and sensitively.

Why a good eulogy matters

Giving a eulogy is not about performing. It is about translating a relationship into words that others can hold. Professors often touch many lives. Your speech helps the room name that impact, share grief, and laugh where appropriate. A good eulogy does three things at minimum.

• Acknowledges the loss and the person who died
• Describes what they meant to people in clear, concrete ways
• Leaves the listeners with an image, lesson, or memory that feels true

Before you start writing

Take a breath. Practically, confirm a few logistics before drafting.

• Ask the family or funeral organizer if they want a public eulogy and if there are topics to avoid.
• Find out the time limit. If none is given, aim for five minutes to seven minutes. Longer is okay for major public memorials but shorter is safer for a standard service.
• Check audio and mic options. Practice with whatever setup you will have so you do not get surprised.

Get permission from the family

If you are a student or colleague asking to speak, reach out to the family or the lead organizer. Ask if there are any preferences about content, jokes, or political topics. Respect boundaries. This is about support, not catharsis alone.

Understand the setting

Will this be in a chapel, a university hall, a Zoom service, or a small gathering? Tone and length change with context. A campus memorial may invite more academic detail. A funeral at a community church may favor human stories and less academic jargon.

Structure that works for a professor eulogy

Use a simple structure so your audience follows the arc.

• Opening line that names the person and your relationship to them
• Brief biography and context
• Two to four personal stories or memories that show character
• What they taught beyond the curriculum
• Optional lightness or humor if appropriate
• Closing thought that offers comfort or a call to remember

Why this structure

People in grief appreciate clarity. The biography anchors facts. Stories make the person human. The teaching moment is the core of any professor tribute. The close gives the room something to carry forward.

Tone tips for millennial speakers

You want to be real without oversharing. Here are voice pointers that fit millennial sensibilities and the brand of being edgy but respectful.

• Be honest. If the professor was strict, say they were strict but also explain why it mattered.
• Use plain language. Avoid academic jargon unless it is part of a memorable anecdote.
• Lean into a few vivid details. One quirky prop or habit can carry a paragraph of meaning.
• Allow small humor if the professor would want it. Self aware, brief jokes that include you are better than mean jokes about the deceased.
• Don not try to be poetic if that is not you. Clear sentences land in a room full of grief.

Common academic terms explained

It helps to know these terms so you can decide what to include or explain them for a public audience.

• PhD means Doctor of Philosophy. It is an advanced degree for those who conduct original research.
• TA means Teaching Assistant. Often a graduate student who helps run classes and grade assignments.
• Adjunct is a part time professor who may not have a permanent salary or tenure. They often teach many classes while holding other jobs.
• Tenure is job security for professors who pass a rigorous review. Tenured faculty have long term appointments meant to protect academic freedom.
• Department chair is the faculty member leading an academic department. They handle budgets, hiring, and curriculum.

How to open your eulogy

First lines matter. They set the tone. Try one of these opens depending on the relationship.

• For a mentor: My name is Alex. Professor Morgan was my PhD advisor and my fiercest supporter.
• For a beloved lecturer: I am Ana. I took Dr. Patel s seminar three times because I could not stop learning from her.
• For a colleague: I am Sam, a fellow faculty member in the chemistry department. I teach what I do because of what Jamie taught me about curiosity.
• For a TA turned friend: I am Luis. I met Professor Green when he assigned me to grade midterms. He ended up grading my life choices instead.

What to include in the middle

This is the meat of your eulogy. Aim for three to five paragraphs that each illustrate a quality through a story. Concrete details beat adjectives. Instead of saying someone was generous, tell the story where they stayed late to help a student fill out a scholarship form. Instead of saying they were brilliant, describe the teaching trick that made a complex idea click for everyone.

Choose memorable, specific anecdotes

Good memory candidates

• The time they stayed after exam to comfort a student who had a panic attack
• The way they marked essays with tiny doodles that became an inside joke in the cohort
• The conference story where they argued for a paper and later bought the junior scholar coffee
• The ritual of making tea before office hours and how students would line up not just for help but for the conversation

Balance public achievements and private moments

Include a line or two about awards, publications, or positions if they matter, but keep the focus on how those achievements influenced people. A single sentence tying prizes to practice is enough.

How to handle controversy or complex legacies

Professors are humans with flaws. If you need to address complicated or painful facts, follow this approach.

• Be honest but measured. Acknowledge complexity without litigating the person s life in the eulogy.
• Focus on impact. If their decisions harmed some people, center the care for those affected and the need to learn.
• If the family requests silence on certain topics, respect their wishes in this setting.

Using humor in a professor eulogy

Humor can be healing when it was part of the professor s personality. Keep it short and inclusive. Self deprecating jokes that include you are safest. Don t make the deceased the butt of the joke in a way that could feel disrespectful to family or students.

Example of a safe laugh line

Professor Lee loved to show up five minutes late with a mug that said Absolutely Not. He always apologized only to start the lecture by saying Apologies. The world is late with me recently.

Religious and cultural considerations

Different faiths and cultures have expectations about eulogies. If the service is religious, confirm whether religious references are welcome. When in doubt, favor universal human values and the family s lead.

Templates you can use

Here are plug and play templates. Fill in blanks and tweak language to fit your voice.

Short template for a 3 minute eulogy

Hello. My name is [Your Name]. I was [relationship to professor for example a former student and research assistant]. Professor [Last Name] taught me [one sentence about what they taught you]. One memory I will always carry is [brief story, concrete detail]. What they taught was not only in the syllabus but in the way they [one sentence about character trait]. I am grateful for their patience and their insistence that we ask harder questions. I will miss them. Thank you.

Medium template for a 5 minute eulogy

Good morning. I am [Your Name]. I met Professor [Last Name] in [year or course]. They had a habit of [small habit detail] that immediately made the class feel like a place to think. That first semester they did [short anecdote]. Professionally, they were known for [one line about work], but personally they were known for [one line about character]. A memory that shows both sides was when [detailed story showing both scholarship and humanity]. In their office they often said [favorite quote or saying]. Today I remember that line and try to live it. Thank you, Professor [Last Name].

Long template for a memorial speech 7 to 10 minutes

Friends family colleagues students. I am [Your Name] and I have the honor to speak today because [reason]. Professor [Full Name] was born in [short bio detail] and came to [university name] in [year or era]. They built a career around [brief summary of academic contributions written in plain language]. But what we remember is how they made us feel. There was the time when [detailed story one]. There was another time when [detailed story two]. Those stories show their curiosity their stubborn generosity and their refusal to accept easy answers. They taught us not only to read texts but to listen to the people behind the text. I will carry them when I [how this changes your life]. If you ever find yourself stuck remember they would say [short remembered line]. We will miss them badly and we will try to honor them by [one actionable memory for the community]. Thank you.

Full example eulogies you can adapt

Use the examples below as templates. Replace names and specific details. Each includes a short explanation of use case.

Example 1: The inspiring research mentor short eulogy

Use case: your PhD advisor who pushed you and others toward high standards

Hello. I am Maya. I was a PhD student and later a colleague of Professor Randall. He had a way of making complicated problems look like a playground. The first time he read my chapter he circled a sentence and said You can write better than this and rolled his eyes in a way that made me work harder rather than feel crushed. He was relentless about clarity and ridiculous about kindness. After conferences he would text students late at night to make sure we were eating something other than coffee. He taught me how to argue with data and how to argue with generosity. I will miss his notes his coffee thermos and the sound of his laugh down the corridor. Thank you, Professor Randall, for not letting me settle for good enough.

Example 2: The beloved lecturer medium eulogy

Use case: someone known to many undergraduates for their unforgettable lectures

Good afternoon. My name is Jordan and I am here because I took Dr. Alvarez s philosophy lecture twice and I am not ashamed to admit it. She had a habit of ending every class with one impossible question. We would walk out annoyed and smarter at the same time. She was precise in a way that felt like care. After class students would gather under the elm tree to keep debating her questions until the library closed. She once stayed after hours with a student who was terrified of public speaking. She taught not with promises of grades but with the stubborn belief that thinking carefully makes living better. Today the campus is quieter without her voice. I am grateful I heard it at all.

Example 3: The strict but loving professor longer eulogy

Use case: professor who pushed students hard and whose sternness masked care

Family friends and colleagues. I am Priya, a former student in Professor Hunt s statistics class. Professor Hunt was famously strict. His exams were impossibly fair and his deadlines were absolute. On the first day he handed us a stack of papers with red ink and said This is how precise science gets. We laughed nervously. He wanted us to learn to be exact because life demands care. The reason he was strict was not to punish but to prepare. I remember the semester my dad got sick. I emailed him saying I could not finish the project. He wrote back Do it anyway and then offered to meet at midnight to help. He had standards and he had a heart. That strange mixture made me a better scholar and a more disciplined person. I will miss his no nonsense voice and his secret generosity. Thank you for teaching us to work and to care.

Practical editing and word count tips

Keep these editing steps in mind to make the speech tighter and more effective.

• Read aloud. Sentences that trip when spoken will trip in front of people.
• Cut filler. Remove any sentence that repeats what you already said unless the repetition has a purpose.
• Aim for 125 to 150 words per minute. That helps estimate length. A five minute eulogy is roughly 625 to 750 words.
• Use short paragraphs and single sentence lines to breathe on the page. It helps with pacing.

Rehearsal and delivery

Practice reduces fear. Try these steps.

• Practice standing. Hold your notes the way you will on the day.
• Time yourself. Pace is more important than speed.
• Mark breaths. Put a small dot where you will breathe or pause for effect.
• Use a friend as audience and ask if they felt the emotional beats. Ask what line they remember after one day.
• If you cry, take a breath and continue. The room will understand. You can place tissues on the podium.

If you are terrified of public speaking

It is okay. You have options.

• Read slowly from written notes. A clear written speech is more effective than a shaky attempt at memorization.
• Ask a trusted colleague to read with you. One person can hand off after the opening lines.
• Record a video message or ask the family if you can pre record a tribute to be played.
• Consider hiring a service or working with campus communication offices for coaching if this is a major public memorial.

What to avoid in a professor eulogy

• Avoid gossip or unresolved disputes dramatized for the crowd
• Avoid long academic lists of publications unless the crowd expects it
• Avoid jokes that require inside knowledge of academic politics
• Avoid overusing superlatives without concrete stories to back them up

What to say if you can only give one minute

Use this ultra short script

Hi. I am [Name], a former student. Professor [Last Name] taught me [very short line]. I remember them because [one vivid image]. Thank you for everything you gave us. Rest well.

After the eulogy

People often want to talk. Be available if you can but set boundaries. Families may welcome your support at a reception. If you are a student, consider organizing a memory board or a book where people can write notes about the professor. Small memorial actions like a reading group named in their honor or a scholarship are practical ways to honor their legacy.

Examples of tribute lines you can borrow

• They taught us to ask better questions than to expect easy answers.
• They believed in thinking slowly in a culture that races toward the next thing.
• Their office hours were the safest place to be wrong and try again.
• They graded with red ink and with kindness. The red ink improved our sentences and the kindness kept us trying.

Commonly asked questions about writing a professor eulogy

How long should a eulogy last

A safe target for most funerals is five minutes. For campus memorials you can go up to ten minutes if the program allows. If you have a hard time estimating use 125 to 150 words per minute to calculate. Ask the organizers for a time limit ahead of time.

Can I include jokes

Yes if the professor would have wanted it. Keep jokes short kind and self inclusive. If you are uncertain avoid anything that might embarrass family or students.

What if I never met the family

Tell the truth. Introduce yourself and your relationship clearly. Briefly say why you were asked or why you are speaking. This helps family and audience understand your perspective.

Is it okay to cry during the eulogy

Absolutely. Grief is public in these moments. Pause take a breath and continue when you can. If you fear it will be too hard consider having a backup speaker or pre recording part of the tribute.

Should I talk about the professor s research

Mention it briefly if it helps contextualize their career. Focus on what their work meant for people. Don t recite a list of publications unless the crowd is academic and expects that level of detail.

Eulogy checklist before you go on stage

• Confirm the time and order of speakers
• Bring printed copies of your speech and note cards
• Have water and tissues nearby
• Wear something you feel comfortable in and that the family would expect
• Label where you will pause for applause or where others might stand up to speak

FAQ Schema