MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) - Middle Tennessee State University is welcoming two major political figures to campus for a free public conversation on civic leadership. Former U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bill Frist will speak at 3 p.m. on Monday (October 19th) inside Tucker Theatre at 615 Champion Way. A community reception will follow the main event, and free parking will be open to visitors at the MTSU Smith Baseball Field parking lot.
The event, titled "Leadership and Public Service: Past, Present, and Future," brings together two leaders with deep ties to Tennessee state government, education, and healthcare. The program will also highlight Alexander's new memoir, "The Education of a Senator."
Louis Kyriakoudes, director of MTSU’s Albert Gore Research Center and professor of history, noted that bringing both figures to campus gives students, faculty, and Rutherford County residents direct access to seasoned public servants. The event also builds on the university's work processing Frist's archival materials over the past four years, a collection detailing his career in medicine, the U.S. Senate, and public health.
Alexander served as a U.S. senator from 2003 to 2021, following two terms as Tennessee governor, service as U.S. secretary of education, and time as president of the University of Tennessee. He also recently received the 2026 Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime Achievement Award for Environmental Stewardship from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Frist represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2007 and served as Senate majority leader from 2003 to 2007 after a career as a transplant surgeon.
Kent Syler, MTSU professor of political science and special projects coordinator for the Gore Center, worked for former Democratic U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon while both Alexander and Frist were in office. He highlighted how both senators frequently crossed party lines to support local initiatives, putting partisan business aside whenever an issue benefited the state.
The conversation supports MTSU's True Blue Character Blueprint initiative, led by the College of Liberal Arts, which aims to strengthen character education and civic responsibility across campus. Leah Tolbert Lyons, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, emphasized that hearing directly from leaders who worked across differences provides a practical example of character in leadership.
The visit also aligns with MTSU's Yorktown Day and America 250 activities hosted by the American Democracy Project and Honors College. Earlier that morning, organizers will hold a reading of the Declaration of Independence at 10:20 a.m. on the Honors College lawn at 1737 Blue Raider Drive. Community members can also print a copy of the preamble on the university's Franklin printing press from noon to 3 p.m. in Room 350 of Todd Hall at 542 Old Main Circle.
