Last week, DU announced that the Josef Korbel School of International Studies will construct a new building with the use of a $17 million gift from Anna and John J. Sie. Construction on the new 43,000 square foot building is planned to be completed in December 2015.

The gift comes as the largest ever received by Korbel. John Sie, a former member of DU’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, Anna, previously donated $5.5 million for the construction of the Sie Cheou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy.

“With what Josef Korbel and his family have built, we believe the Korbel School is poised to be one of the top three schools in the world preparing future global leaders,” Sie said in a statement. “We are proud to be able to support Ambassador Hill [Korbel Dean Christopher Hill] in this important endeavor.”
The building will join together the school’s Cherrington Hall and Sie Cheou-Kang Center into a larger complex, which is to be called the Anna and John J. Sie International Relations Complex. The design of the building is being led by University Architect Mark Rodgers and architectural firm Anderson Mason Dale.
In addition to the money granted in the donation, DU will contribute $3 million to the construction, according to Director of Communications at Korbel David Proper. The donation also comes as part of the five-year fundraising campaign by the university. Some funding will go towards providing new and more advanced equipment within the new spaces.

“The entire Josef Korbel School community is thrilled and humbled by the Sie family’s ongoing commitment to our students and future of the Korbel School,” said Hill in a statement. “With the support, we will continue our ascent as a leading school of international affairs and as the epicenter of international studies in the Western U.S.”

Korbel had been planning to construct a new building as part of a plan prior to the donation, according to Proper.

“Right now, in our existing facilities, there is limited space for students to gather and collaborate. The new building will provide additional common spaces and study areas,” said Proper. “Furthermore, the new building will provide the school with more classrooms to be used for the undergraduate programs.”
The top floor of the building will also host events and high-profile visits to the school.