Department of Philosophy

Myles Brand earned his B.S.in Philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964 and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester in 1967. He was an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh (1967-72) before becoming Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (1972-81; promoted to Full 1976).

In 1981, Brand became the Head of Philosophy at the University of Arizona and the founder and Director of the Cognitive Science Program (1982-85). From 1983-86 he served as Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences as well as Coordinating Dean, College of Arts and Sciences (1985-86).

Brand served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Ohio State University from 1986-1989 and President of the University of Oregon from 1989-1994.

Brand was the 16^th President of Indiana University from 1994 to 2002. During that time he oversaw the 1996 consolidation of University Hospitals and Methodist Hospital to Clarian Healthcare, remaining on its board until his death. IU President Michael McRobbie dedicated the Myles Brand Chair in Cancer Research at the IU School of Medicine, Indianapolis, in 2009.

Brand served as President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from January 1, 2003, until his untimely demise on September 16, 2009. He was the first university president, academic, and philosopher in ninety-seven years to head the organization (then comprised of 1,036 college and universities). In 2004, Sports Business Journal named him Most Influential Person in Intercollegiate Sports and in 2008 Newsweek named him one of the 100 Most Influential Persons in Sports. His passing was noted in 2009 by ESPN.com writer Richard E. Lapchick, Chair of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport: “Brand was a philosopher who will be remembered for his eloquence and for his fight for justice in sport, especially regarding graduation rates, gender equity, and diversity and inclusion.”

Among other leadership activities, Brand served on the national board and committees for the American Philosophical Association, the Advisory Board for “Philosophy Talk” on NPR, editorial boards of several philosophical journals, and routinely published op ed pieces in The New York Times, The Huntington Post, and other national venues. At IU, he hosted “Pro & Con,” a WTIU public broadcast television show, from 1994-2002. He appeared twice as a guest at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and appeared weekly on an NCAA Audio Blog from 2006-2009. He was awarded many honorary degrees and awards throughout his career.

In addition to many articles and book chapters, his book publications include:

• The Representation of Knowledge and Belief, co-edited with Robert Harnish (1986)
• Intending and Acting: Toward a Naturalized Action Theory (1984)
• Action and Responsibility, co-edited with Michael Brodie (1980)
• Action Theory: Proceedings of the Winnipeg Conference, co-edited with Douglas Walton (1976)
• The Nature of Causation, edited with one authored essay (1976)
• The Nature of Human Action, edited with three essays (1970)

In 2019 Indiana University named Myles Brand Hall to commemorate the creation of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering during his IU Presidency.  Over 300 of his speeches, podcasts and videos can be found at www.mylesbrand.com.  A special issue of the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, “The Myles Brand Era at the NCAA: A Tribute and Scholarly Review” (co-edited by Peg Brand Weiser), contains essays by notable scholars in the field as well as an essay by Peg Brand Weiser entitled “Life is an Adventure: From Action Theory to Action.”  It tracks Myles’ evolution from analytic philosopher to university administrator and NCAA president.