CME Group Foundation of Chicago has given a $500,000 grant to the Clayton K. Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to support a new biennial symposium.
The grant establishes an endowed fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation that will provide permanent support for an international trade and finance symposium. The inaugural CME Group Foundation Symposium will take place in Lincoln in 2018.
“CME Group is a pre-eminent financial institution with deep agricultural roots,” said Ronnie Green, UNL chancellor-elect. “This gift allows the Yeutter Institute to be an exceptional resource for students, faculty and practitioners with interests in international trade and finance.”
Jim Oliff, chairman of CME Group Foundation, said the organization is pleased to support the institute.
“Dr. Yeutter was an important figure in the history of our company,” he said. “We believe the symposium on international trade and finance will be an important contribution to the field.”
The Clayton K. Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance was launched in 2015 to prepare students to work at a time when national economies are increasingly connected. The institute builds on the strengths of the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and College of Business Administration and the University of Nebraska College of Law to offer undergraduate and graduate education, facilitate faculty research and conduct outreach efforts, all related to international trade and finance. The goal is for students to be prepared for work in the ever-growing global trade environment.
The Yeutter Institute is named after Clayton K. Yeutter, a renowned trade expert and University of Nebraska alumnus who made a leadership gift commitment to support the institute. Yeutter worked for four U.S. presidents in a career spanning several decades. He was U.S. secretary of agriculture, a U.S. trade representative and a counselor to President George H.W. Bush. He was also CEO of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and chairman of the Republican National Committee. He was chief of staff to Nebraska Gov. Norbert Tiemann before leading the University of Nebraska Mission in Colombia.
