Lincoln, Neb. —The Clayton Yeutter Insitute of International Trade and Finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced that Matthew Schaefer has been named the inaugural Clayton Yeutter Chair in the Nebraska College of Law.
Schaefer currently holds the Veronica A. Haggart and Charles R. Work Professorship in International Trade Law in the Nebraska College of Law and serves as co-director of the college’s Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law Program that he co-founded. His appointment as the Yeutter Chair will begin in January 2022.
“The Yeutter Institute has already benefited enormously from Professor Schaefer’s trade law expertise and leadership in integrating international law into every Nebraska Law student’s experience,” said Yeutter Institute director Jill O’Donnell. “As the Clayton Yeutter Chair, his increased focus on trade opens up exciting possibilities to continue building the interdisciplinary institute that Clayton Yeutter envisioned.”
Schaefer fills the third of three chair positions in the institute. The institute’s other two chairs are held by Edward Balistreri, the Duane Acklie Yeutter Institute Chair in the College of Business and John Beghin, the Mike Yanney Yeutter Institute Chair in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The institute’s chairs and director bring together their experience in law, economics, agricultural economics, and international relations to create interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students from any major and collaborate on research.
“The Clayton Yeutter Chair was established to ensure that we are able to build upon the work of one of the College of Law’s most esteemed alumni,” said College of Law dean Richard Moberly. “Professor Schaefer will carry on the legacy of Clayton Yeutter with his expertise in international trade, an area that is so important to the future of our state and region.”
Schaefer has over 25 years of law teaching experience with expertise in international trade and international business law. During the 1999 calendar year, he served as a director in the International Economic Affairs Office of the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House. He was the principal staff member responsible for the formulation, coordination, and implementation of U.S. foreign policy as it relates to international economic issues. He also previously served as a consultant to the National Governors’ Association and Western Governors’ Association on the negotiation and implementation of the NAFTA and Uruguay Round WTO Agreements. His achievements during his nearly 27 years at the Nebraska College of Law include: leading the effort to require all J.D. students to take an international law course; becoming co-author of one of the leading coursebooks in international business transactions; and collaborating with Yeutter Institute faculty on several major international trade conferences as well as research into how international trade negotiations can assist in liberalizing trade in gene edited crops and food.
“I am very honored to be named the Yeutter Chair and continue to work with my remarkable colleagues to continue to grow the Yeutter Institute’s already significant reach in programming for students and stakeholders, and in research. Clayton Yeutter’s outstanding government service was integral to the formation of the most important international trade agreements and institutions,” said Schaefer. “Indeed, Ambassador Yeutter’s efforts were highlighted in the opening sentence of my first international trade law course in law school taught by the esteemed Professor John H. Jackson. I have admired Ambassador Yeutter ever since as a student, trade consultant, government official and faculty member.”
Schaefer is a graduate of the University of Chicago (B.A.) and the University of Michigan Law School (J.D. magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, L.L.M. in international law, S.J.D.).
Schaefer will step down from his role as the Founding Co-Director of Nebraska Law’s Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program upon his appointment as the Yeutter Chair. Schaefer spent 16 years as a director or co-director of the program, leading the creation of the in-residence and online LL.M. degrees, and serving as principal organizer for theme and speakers at 14 annual Washington, D.C. space law conferences, one of the best attended space law events in North America each year. Co-directors Professor Jack Beard and Professor Gus Hurwitz will continue to lead the program along with executive director Elsbeth Magilton. As part of the transition, the program will undergo renewed strategic planning efforts which will soon be announced publicly.
The vision of University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumnus and renowned trade expert Clayton Yeutter, the Yeutter Institute connects academic disciplines related to law, business and agriculture in order to prepare students for leadership roles in international trade and finance, support interdisciplinary research and increase public understanding of these issues. Learn more.