Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) is Stanford University’s hub for nonpartisan, interdisciplinary research, teaching, and policy impact in international affairs. Our mission is to:
- Produce world-class, worldwide research: With over 150 researchers from across Stanford’s campus and around the world, FSI is home to a diverse group of research centers and programs that pursue solutions to critical global issues.
- Prepare tomorrow's leaders: Our faculty teach more than 65 classes a year, mentor dozens of honors and graduate students through guided research, and train democracy activists from around the world.
- Engage policymakers: Our research flows from our home in Encina Hall to policymakers worldwide, providing data and scientific evidence for decision-making in Washington, Geneva, Beijing and beyond.
FSI's director is Prof. Michael McFaul, the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies at Stanford and former US Ambassador to Russia.
FSI's first director was former Stanford President Richard Lyman. In 1991, Professor Walter P. Falcon was appointed director with Law Professor Thomas C. Heller as deputy director. In 1998, they were followed by David Holloway as director and Coit D. Blacker as deputy director. In 2003, Blacker succeeded Holloway as Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute. After Blacker stepped down as director in 2012, former Stanford President Gerhard Casper led FSI for one year. Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar was FSI's director from 2013-2015.
No, but it has active programs for training and teaching both graduate and undergraduate students. The Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy is housed under FSI though the degree is granted by the School of Humanities and Sciences.
As a university research institute, FSI does not represent any political ideology.
Rather, it provides independent scholarship that is guided by disciplinary standards of academic excellence. Our scholars produce research that meets the requirements set by peer-reviewed journals, academic presses, and granting foundations, independent of partisan political or commercial interests.
As a hub for interdisciplinary research, FSI is home to nine research centers:
- Asia-Pacific Research Center
- Center for International Security and Cooperation
- Center on China's Economy and Institutions
- Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law
- Center on Food Security and the Environment
- Cyber Policy Center
- The Europe Center
- Gordian Knot Center for Innovation in National Security
- Stanford Health Policy
It stands for the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education.
Since 1976, SPICE has served as a bridge between FSI and K–12 schools and community colleges by developing multidisciplinary curricular materials on international topics, conducting teacher professional development seminars, and teaching distance-learning courses.
(650) 723-4734
fsi-communications@stanford.edu
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Stanford University
616 Jane Stanford Way
Stanford, CA 94305-6055