Organized by Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, the conference starts with greetings from John A. Elliott, Dean of Zicklin School of Business and Robert Schwartz, Speiser Professor of Finance, Baruch College. The main theme of this conference is to discuss the economic function of stock exchanges. The opening address is provided by William Brodsky, Chairman and CEO of Chicago Board Options Exchange. The conference is to be continued by Part 2 and 3 for panel discussions.