Brand first taught at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1972, he became chair of the philosophy department at the University of Illinois-Chicago and succeeded in elevating the department's rank to among the top 10 in the nation. He did the same at the University of Arizona, where he also served as Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Dean of Arts and Sciences. At Ohio State University, he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs from 1986 to 1989, then moved on to become the president of the University of Oregon until 1994. Brand is currently chair of the Indiana Conference on Higher Education, is a member of the board of the National Association of State and Land Grant Universities, and is outgoing chairman of the board of the American Association of Universities.
Brand is a father and a grandfather.