McNulty Family Pledge Expands Opportunities for UIC's Asian Studies Students

East meets West, and in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, that union will blossom as spectacularly as Chinese lotus flowers.

That’s exactly what LAS Board of Visitors member James McNulty and his wife, Jamie Thorsen McNulty, intended when they gave a $300,000 pledge to establish the James and Jamie McNulty Fund in Asian Studies. The fund will support the expansion of Asian Studies allowing students greater opportunity to study Asia and understand its social, cultural and economic interactions.

“This is a great example of philanthropy that weds the strong interest of the donor to an area of great need for the institution,” said Dean Dwight A. McBride. “Their gift will grow our Asian studies offerings at a time when Asia's significance geopolitically and economically is central to global affairs, and our students are hungry for it.”

The McNulty family

Jim McNulty at the Great Wall of China

McNulty’s affinity for Asia and Asian studies comes from his years as former president and CEO of CME Group Inc. (formerly Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc.) and his more than 30 years of experience in global financial markets, management, exchange, over-the-counter trading and international finance.

“I’ll always be grateful to UIC for launching me on an international career,” McNulty said. “In the next century, we see China as one of the largest potential trading partners for firms in Chicago and think it’s important for UIC students to understand the languages, history, cultures and arts of Asia, and particularly China, so they’re prepared to succeed in business and other endeavors there in the coming years.”

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