Environmental historian named Wallace Stegner endowed chair at Montana State

BOZEMAN - Author and environmental historian Joshua Howe will become the new Wallace Stegner Endowed Chair in Western American Studies at Montana State University in August.

The author of books on the history of climate change science and exposure of soldiers in battle to toxic chemicals, Howe is the second professor appointed to a permanent, endowed faculty position under the Stegner Chair. The chair was established in MSU's Department of History and Philosophy in the College of Letters and Science in 1997 to continue the legacy of Wallace Stegner, a novelist, historian and conservationist who was often called the "dean of Western writers." Stegner notably spoke at MSU shortly before his death in 1993.

Timothy LeCain, head of the history department, said Howe is a perfect fit for the mission of the Stegner Chair, which its namesake hoped would "be a 'way to inform the West about itself.'

"Stegner grew up in the West and was an ardent conservationist. His writing often spoke to the unforeseen consequences of the region's boom-and-bust economies built around copper or timber," LeCain said. "Josh's research brings these themes into the post-World War II era, when the West became the national center of defense industries from atomic weapons to aviation. Our region's role in the nearly half century-long Cold War is a central part of that story, and Josh is just the scholar to tell it."

Though this will be his first faculty position at MSU, Howe is not a newcomer to Bozeman. After earning his doctorate in history at Stanford University in 2010, he was an MSU postdoctoral fellow for the John Tyndall Correspondence Project, a multi-institutional effort funded by the National Science Foundation and led by MSU professor of history Michael Reidy. In 2012, Howe accepted a faculty position teaching history and environmental studies at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

"I've had a great 14-year run there, very teaching focused and student focused, and I'm excited to bring that experience to Montana State," he said.

Howe's current project investigates the legacies of the Cold War on the landscapes and people of post-Cold War America, an endeavor that he expects to guide the bulk of his research for the next eight to 10 years. His previous books include "Warbody: A Marine Sniper and the Hidden Violence of Modern Warfare" and "Behind the Curve: Science and the Political History of Global Warming."

In addition to teaching and mentoring students, Howe said that as Stegner Chair he intends to help grow the history department's focus on the American West and to increase the visibility of its graduate program regionally and nationally. He plans to work closely with MSU's Ivan Doig Center for the Study of the Lands and Peoples of the North American West on projects of mutual interest.

Howe said he also will establish a Stegner Scholar Series to bring to campus mid-career scholars doing innovative work on the American West. He will oversee the Stegner Lecture series that features visiting senior scholars, such as esteemed historian Elliott West, who in March delivered the 2026 Stegner Lecture on "The West and the Making of Modern America."

"I'm excited about a job that incentivizes me to be more active in the field of history of the American West and environmental history," Howe said. "It doesn't hurt that the chair is named for one of my literary heroes."

The establishment of the Stegner Chair was made possible by a donation from Susan Heyneman, an admirer and friend of Stegner's, and her family, who have been ranching in Montana for many years. Prominent Western authors David Quammen, Alexander Saxton and Tom Watkins were the first three historians to hold the chair, though they never served on the faculty.

Ten years ago, a further donation from the Heynemans helped the college establish he Wallace Stegner Endowed Chair in Western American Studies, which focuses on teaching and research in history, literature and philosophy with a concentration on pressing Western issues. It is the only endowed chair in the humanities at MSU. Howe will succeed retired professor Mark Fiege, who served as the first endowed Stegner Chair from 2016 to 2025.

"Endowed chairs, like the Stegner Chair, raise the national visibility of Montana State University and benefit our students by attracting leading scholars and teachers," said William Thomas, dean of the College of Letters and Science. "Josh Howe is an innovative scholar and a dedicated teacher. We're delighted he will join us as the Stegner Chair at MSU."