Rejecting Offer: Notify POI?

[edost]

I've accepted an offer and notified other programs. Now, the question is this: other than the graduate director of programs I'm not attending, should I also notify the POI, especially since I was in contact with him recently (about a school visit which I canceled)?

[Shelley Burian]

Was your contact with them limited to a brief email about a visit or did you have a longer dialogue with them? If this is someone you have had sustained contact with I would say absolutely yes. If not, its more doubtful, but not contacting them might result in burning a bridge (depending on the personality of the professor). As your poi, this is someone that you will probably run into at conferences and might end up on a job search committee (you can never know the future).

[Chasely]

I would just copy the POI on the email you send the graduate director. It's no work for you and makes them not have to hear it from someone else.

If I were to have to receive bad news, I would prefer it be straight from the source. Everyone's different though.