About the Kautz-Uible Economics Institute

The beginnings of the Kautz-Uible Economics Institute date back to 1982 when James C. Kautz and his wife, Caroline Kautz, established the Hewett-Kautz Fund. Jim, the first member of his family to attend college, is an alumnus of the economics program at the University of Cincinnati. During his undergraduate studies, however, Jim struggled and nearly dropped out. His path changed when his economics professor, Dr. Hewett, stepped in and mentored him, encouraging him to continue his studies. Jim successfully completed his college degree in 1953 and moved on to build an exceptional career. To express his gratitude and honor his economics professor, Jim created the Hewett-Kautz Fund with the primary mission of enriching the lives of economics students at UC.

Jim went on to earn his earn MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in 1957. Subsequently, he joined Goldman, Sachs & Company and became a partner. Together with his nephew Jim Koch, he was a founding board member of the Boston Beer Company, which is the maker of Samuel Adams. Jim passed away in 2018, leaving behind a rich legacy.

When Jim's health deteriorated, his son Dan Kautz continued this legacy. He worked with UC economics alumnus Woody Uible (BA '75), a principal at Bartlett Wealth Company who joined the fund in 1993; the pair expanded the fund's scope and changed its name to the Kautz-Uible Fund.

Thanks to a large gift from Dan and Woody in 2019, the fund developed even further and became the Kautz-Uible Economics Institute. It is now a quasi-autonomous institute associated with the Department of Economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Several successful alumni and economics faculty members actively participate in the activities of the institute.