Author Michael Punke will address Montana State University’s First Year Student Convocation on August 19 at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The event, scheduled for 4 p.m., is open to the public and does not require tickets.
Punke is known for his novel “The Revenant,” which became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2015. He has also written “Fire and Brimstone: The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917,” a nonfiction work that first-year MSU students were asked to read before the convocation. Each student received a copy of the book as a gift from the MSU president’s office.
Born in Torrington, Wyoming, Punke holds degrees from George Washington University and Cornell Law School. His career includes more than three decades in public policy, with roles such as U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Switzerland from 2010 to 2017, staff positions in the U.S. Senate, and service on both the White House National Security Council and National Economic Council. He currently serves as vice president for global public policy at Amazon Web Services and lives in Missoula with his wife Traci, who is originally from Livingston. They have two adult children.
MSU President Brock Tessman said, “‘Fire and Brimstone’ illuminates an essential chapter of Montana history and brings it to life for a new class of MSU students. Michael Punke is a gifted storyteller, and we can’t wait for him to join us in kicking off a new academic year by sharing his creativity and expertise.”
The First Year Convocation marks the formal welcome of incoming students at Montana State University and highlights university and community support as these students begin their journey toward graduation as the class of 2029. This year’s event will be MSU’s 18th convocation ceremony. Additional details can be found at https://www.montana.edu/convocation/.
