The Yeutter Institute Provides Trade Insights to Nebraska Communities

Directed Community Vitality Initiatives

The Yeutter Institute Provides Trade Insights to Nebraska Communities

Providing International Trade Resources to the State

Portrait of Author Haley Ehrke
Interview with Jill O’Donnell Haley Ehrke

The Yeutter Institute at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln educates both university students and the general public about international trade and its impact on Nebraska’s economy. The Yeutter Institute began in December 2017 and serves as a focal point for education, research, and public engagement related to international trade.

“The Yeutter Institute is a platform for discovery about international trade, how it works, and the impacts it has on Nebraska lives, business decisions, and the economy,” said Jill O’Donnell, director of the Yeutter Institute.

U.S. agriculture is incredibly productive, and with nearly 95% of the world’s  consumers living outside of the United States, export markets are vital, O’Donnell said.

Nebraska exported approximately $6.8 billion in agricultural goods in 2018. The Yeutter Institute teaches the process of international trade to help all Nebraskans understand it.

“Trade tends to get intertwined with discussions about global competition, workforce needs and the jobs of the future – all very critical to rural economic vitality in Nebraska,” O’Donnell said. “As an organization with an interdisciplinary mission, the Yeutter Institute brings these dynamics together to educate and illuminate.”

 

A Focus on Students and Public Engagement

The Yeutter Institute engages both students and the public in various ways.

The Yeutter Institute held a trade negotiation simulation mini-course in the spring of 2019. The course allowed students from 12 different majors to come together and practice a trade negotiation, with each student representing a different country or coalition.

“The Yeutter Institute is a place for students from every major to study international trade from various angles and gain exposure  to the career paths that are available to them in the area of international trade,” O’Donnell said.

Additionally, the Yeutter Institute actively works with students on professional development in the international trade arena. That effort began with a group of three Honors Interns, who each chose a research question related to trade and prepared a briefing paper. The interns received feedback and published  the papers on the Yeutter Institute website [https://yeutter-institute.unl.edu/student-projects] to share findings with the public. Expanding on this idea, in August 2020, the institute launched a “Yeutter Student Fellows” program consisting of 13 undergraduate students who will work as a cohort on professional deliverables related to international trade.

For the public, the Yeutter Institute hosts an international trade conference annually in the fall. In October 2019, the conference was titled, “What’s on the Horizon for International Trade?” The conference hosted numerous distinguished trade experts from both coasts of the United States and Canada, including keynote speaker Edward Alden, Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor at Western Washington University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and John Weekes, Canada’s former Ambassador to the World Trade Organization. During a student-led panel, students interviewed Darci Vetter, former U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator, asking tough questions about trade policy.

“Over the last few years, trade policy has been changing rapidly and on numerous fronts,” O’Donnell said. “The Yeutter Institute’s 2019 conference was an opportunity for Nebraskans to hear directly from trade policy shapers and researchers about the context for these changes as well as their impacts on the global trading system, the United States and Nebraska.”

The Yeutter Institute also maintains an “International Trade and Finance Calendar” on its website, with trade-related online events, Congressional hearings, and government requests for public comment. This resource is for anyone seeking ways to learn more about trade or weigh in on trade policy. 

Finally, the Yeutter Institute launched a podcast called “Trade Matters.” Each episode features a different guest. Guests have included Mexico’s chief negotiator on the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement, Ken Smith Ramos; former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel; and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. The podcast helps the public unpack various perspectives on trade and discuss ways it impacts the Nebraska economy. The podcast can be found at https://yeutter-institute.unl.edu/podcast.

“The forces and institutions that make international trade possible tend to operate in the background of our lives; they aren’t always visible or tangible,” O’Donnell said. “The Trade Matters podcast brings these dynamics into focus, and my hope is that it helps make trade relatable.”

 

Clayton Yeutter’s Living Legacy

The Yeutter Institute is an interdisciplinary program formed by three colleges, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR), the College of Business, and College of Law.    

The Yeutter Institute is based on an idea from Clayton Yeutter, a Eustis, Nebraska, native and university graduate. Yeutter earned degrees in Agricultural Economics and Law from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He later served as the U.S. Trade Representative for President Ronald Reagan, as well as the U.S. Agriculture Secretary for President George H.W. Bush. His many achievements have had a lasting impact on the world economy.

Clayton Yeutter wanted to bring this expertise back to the state of Nebraska, and so, the Yeutter Institute began.

“Clayton Yeutter often said that the University of Nebraska produces graduates with great leadership attributes and that impacting the lives of students is the pathway to changing the world,” O’Donnell said. “He thought it was important for the next generation of leaders to have a solid understanding of international trade and finance. Today, his legacy guides the work of the Yeutter Institute.”  O’Donnell said.