Former Secretary of State John Kerry to visit Tufts University

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (Oct. 11, 2018)—The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University will host former United States Secretary of State and Senator (D-Mass.) John Kerry on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Cohen Auditorium at Aidekman Arts Center on Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus. Kerry will discuss his distinguished career in public service and the current state of foreign affairs, as well as his service in Vietnam and his experiences coming home as a young anti-war activist.

The event is part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series, which recently featured former Vice President Al Gore, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.) and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. This semester, the series will also feature environmentalist Bill McKibben, Republican strategist and CNN commentator Ana Navarro, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Tisch College Dean Alan D. Solomont, a former U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra, will moderate the discussion with Kerry.

This event is free and open to the Tufts community, though a ticket is required. More information about ticketing is available here.

The event is open to members of the news media, with some restrictions. Media members must register in advance by contacting Robin Smyton via email at robin.smyton@tufts.edu or by phone at 617-627-5392.

The event will be livestreamed at tischcollege.tufts.edu and photographs and video will be made available to media upon request following the event.

Appointed in 2012 by President Barack Obama, Kerry guided the U.S. State Department's strategy on promoting nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism and fighting climate change. His tenure, lasting from 2013 to 2017, was marked by the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Kerry last visited the Tufts campus in 2016, for a meeting with a delegation of the Quintet Foreign Ministers (Alonso Nichols, Tufts University)

Prior to serving in the State Department, Kerry served as a U.S. senator from Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013. As part of his distinguished senate career, he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, which was instrumental in normalizing relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.

In 2004, Kerry was the Democratic nominee for president.

A decorated veteran, Kerry served two combat tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy. He became an anti-war activist upon his return stateside, becoming one of the most prominent members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

Kerry is also the best-selling author of three books, including his 2018 memoir "Every Day Is Extra." He currently serves as the distinguished fellow for Global Affairs at Yale University, his alma mater, and the visiting distinguished statesman for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life focuses on preparing students to tackle the most pressing challenges to democratic and civic life, and on conducting research in the emerging field of civic studies.

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About Tufts University

Tufts University, located on campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university's schools is widely encouraged.