By Tom Bannister

Former Massachusetts Senator Scott P. Brown paid a visit to Tufts University last week. ~Photo courtesy of Tufts University

Scott P. Brown, former senator from Massachusetts, appeared at Tufts University on March 11 as part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series, which brings leaders from a range of fields and perspectives to campus to discuss pressing public issues.

The free public lecture, which was followed by a brief question-and-answer session, was held in Alumnae Lounge on Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus. It was presented by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University.

Brown, a Tufts alumnus, served in the U.S. Senate from 2010 to 2013 and was a ranking member on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and was a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Committee on Small Business.

Prior to his service in the U.S. Senate he was a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 2004 to 2010 and the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1998 to2004. He is a member of the Republican Party.

In addition to his legislative experience, Brown served 35 years in the Army National Guard, retiring in 2014 with the rank of colonel. He joined the military while at Tufts and initially served as an enlisted man.

Brown’s memoir Against All Odds was a New York Times bestseller. He is a frequent contributor to FOX National News and has hosted The O’Reilly Factor, Fox and Friends and appeared on many other radio and television shows.

The Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series, which launched in the fall of 2014, was designed to educate, enlighten and provoke students at Tufts, hoping they will be inspired by the leaders and role models they hear and meet. Previous speakers include U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and national political columnist for Yahoo! News Matt Bai, also a Tufts graduate.