The Stanford Institute for International Studies (SIIS) became the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, or FSI, effective September 1.

The name change is in recognition of the $50 million lead gift by Brad Freeman and Ron Spogli to the institute and to Stanford's International Initiative, a bold new venture launched this spring by President John Hennessy to unify and strengthen Stanford's role in global affairs. Freeman ('64), a former Stanford trustee, and Spogli ('70), a former member of the institute's Board of Visitors, are founding partners of the Los Angeles-based investment firm Freeman Spogli & Co.

As the anchor for Stanford's International Initiative, FSI plans to roll out the first of many innovative programs under the auspices of the International Initiative to address global challenges to international security, governance, and human well-being, the initiative's central themes.