1.This Act may be cited as the
Eva M. Clayton Fellows Program Act
.
2.Eva M. Clayton
Fellows Program
(a)Subtitle I of the
National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7
U.S.C. 3291 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
1459B.Eva M.
Clayton Fellows Program
(a)The Secretary shall establish a fellowship
program to be known as the Eva M. Clayton Fellows Program
to
provide for fellowships to conduct research and education on the eradication of
world hunger and malnutrition in accordance with this section.
(b)
(1)The Secretary shall
select eligible faculty members to receive a fellowship to conduct research or
education programs relating to the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition
(in this section referred to as Clayton Fellows
).
(2)The
term of a fellowship awarded under this subsection shall be two years.
(3)
(A)During the first year
of service under a fellowship awarded under this subsection, each Clayton
Fellow shall serve at the qualified institution at which the Clayton Fellow is
a faculty member.
(B)During the second
year of service under a fellowship awarded under this subsection, each Clayton
Fellow—
(i)may, if a
fellowship position is made available pursuant to subsection (d), serve at the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; or
(ii)shall, if such
position is not made available, continue to serve as described in subparagraph
(A).
(C)During the term of service under a
fellowship awarded under this subsection, a Clayton Fellow may travel as
necessary to conduct work on the eradication of world hunger and
malnutrition.
(4)An
eligible faculty member seeking a fellowship under this subsection shall submit
to the Secretary an application that contains—
(A)a résumé or
curriculum vitae that includes information on the expertise, education, and
training of such faculty member;
(B)a description of
the research or education programs the faculty member intends to conduct while
serving as a Clayton Fellow;
(C)a certification that the qualified
institution at which the eligible faculty member is a faculty member has agreed
to maintain the faculty status, benefits, and faculty position of the eligible
faculty member during and after the return of the eligible faculty member to
the qualified institution from the fellowship program established under
subsection (a); and
(D)such other
information as the Secretary may require.
(5)In
selecting eligible faculty members to serve as Clayton Fellows, the Secretary
may give priority to eligible faculty members at land-grant colleges and
universities.
(6)Not
later than 30 days after the date on which a Clayton Fellow completes a year of
service under a fellowship awarded under this subsection, each Clayton Fellow
shall submit to the Secretary a report containing—
(A)a description of the research and education
programs conducted by the Clayton Fellow during the preceding year of service,
including the purpose and results of such research or education
programs;
(B)a self-assessment of the effectiveness of
the research or education programs conducted by the Clayton Fellow during such
year;
(C)an evaluation of each Fellow Protégé who
provided assistance to the Clayton Fellow during such year;
(D)a description of best practices for the
eradication of world hunger and malnutrition and a proposal to teach such
practices at the qualified institution at which the Clayton Fellow is a faculty
member upon completion of the fellowship awarded under this subsection;
and
(E)such other information as the Secretary may
require.
(7)Submission of
evaluation to Peace CorpsEach Clayton Fellow shall submit to the
Master’s International program of the Peace Corps a copy of the evaluation
submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (6)(C).
(8)The
Secretary may terminate a fellowship awarded under this subsection at any time
during the fellowship.
(c)
(1)Each Clayton Fellow
shall select at least one eligible student to assist such Clayton Fellow in
conducting research or education programs on the eradication of world hunger
and malnutrition (in this section referred to as a Fellow
Protégé
).
(2)
(A)Each Fellow Protégé shall provide assistance to a Clayton
Fellow—
(i)in
the country or region that is the subject of the work of the Clayton Fellow
relating to the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition; or
(ii)if the Clayton Fellow is serving at the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, at the Food and
Agriculture Organization.
(B)A Fellow Protégé may travel as necessary to
provide assistance to a Clayton Fellow during the term of assistance of such
Protégé.
(3)Each eligible student seeking to assist a
Clayton Fellow under this subsection shall submit to a Clayton Fellow an
application that contains—
(A)documentation
proving that the student—
(i)has permission
from the Master’s International program of the Peace Corps to provide
assistance to a Clayton Fellow in accordance with this section; and
(ii)is eligible to serve as a Fellow Protégé
under this subsection, including proof of enrollment and good academic
standing;
(B)an explanation of how the academic work of
the student relates to the work of the fellowship program established under
subsection (a);
(C)an academic
transcript; and
(D)such other
information as the Clayton Fellow may require.
(4)Selection of
Fellow ProtégésIn selecting
eligible students to serve as Fellow Protégés, a Clayton Fellow—
(A)shall consult with
the Secretary; and
(B)may give priority to students enrolled at
land-grant colleges and universities.
(5)Not later than 30 days after the date on
which a Fellow Protégé completes a term of assistance under this subsection,
each Fellow Protégé shall submit to the Secretary a report containing—
(A)a description of the type and extent of the
assistance such Fellow Protégé provided to a Clayton Fellow in conducting
research or education programs on the eradication of world hunger and
malnutrition during the preceding term of assistance as a Fellow
Protégé;
(B)a self-assessment of the effectiveness of
such assistance;
(C)an evaluation of the Clayton Fellow for
whom the Fellow Protégé provided such assistance;
(D)a description of best practices identified
by such Fellow Protégé for the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition;
and
(E)such other information as the Secretary may
require.
(6)A Clayton Fellow may terminate the term of
assistance of a Fellow Protégé at any time during such term of assistance.
(d)United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization
(1)Establishment of
fellowship positionsThe
President shall direct the United States Permanent Representative to the United
Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the
United Nations to urge the United Nations to establish within the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations fellowship positions for Clayton
Fellows to conduct research and education programs on the eradication of world
hunger and malnutrition.
(2)Upon
the establishment of a fellowship position under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall consult with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
with respect to the selection of Clayton Fellows.
(e)
(1)The Secretary shall award a grant to administer and
implement the fellowship program established under subsection (a) to a
nonprofit organization that—
(A)represents or is comprised of individuals
associated with an institution of higher education specified in section 371(a)
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)); and
(B)is an organization described in paragraph
(3) of section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax
under such section.
(2)The organization
awarded a grant under paragraph (1) may use grant funds only for the following
purposes:
(A)To provide for each Clayton Fellow and each
Fellow Protégé payment for expenses related to conducting work on the
eradication of world hunger and malnutrition under the fellowship established
under subsection (a), including—
(i)housing or
accommodations; and
(ii)travel.
(B)To provide on behalf of each Fellow Protégé
at the end of the term of assistance of such Protégé in an amount that is
proportionate to such term of assistance—
(i)scholarship assistance in the form of a
direct lump-sum payment to the qualified institution at which such Protégé is
enrolled; or
(ii)if such Protégé graduates from the
qualified institution upon completion of the term of assistance as a Fellow
Protégé, loan repayment assistance for loans made, insured, or guaranteed under
part B, or made under part D or E, of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1071 et seq., 1087a et seq., 1087aa et seq.) for which such Protégé is
the borrower, in the form of a direct lump-sum payment—
(I)in the case of a loan made, insured, or
guaranteed under part B of such Act, to the holder of the loan;
(II)in the case of a
loan made under part D of such Act, to the Secretary of Education; and
(III)in the case of a loan made under part E of
such Act, to the institution of higher education making such loan.
(C)To pay the costs
of administering the fellowship program established under subsection
(a).
(3)
(A)The organization
awarded a grant under paragraph (1) or this paragraph shall annually submit to
the Secretary an assessment of the fellowship program established under
subsection (a) that contains—
(i)a
description of the use of the funds received by the organization under this
section during the preceding year of such fellowship program;
(ii)an assessment by
the organization of the effectiveness of the activities carried out using such
funds;
(iii)information
regarding the application of any funds provided by non-Federal sources during
such year;
(iv)a
description of the best practices identified by the organization for future
fellowship programs to be carried out by the Secretary; and
(v)such other
information as the Secretary may require.
(B)If after reviewing the annual assessment described in
subparagraph (A), the Secretary determines that the organization awarded a
grant under paragraph (1) or this paragraph did not administer and implement
the fellowship program established under subsection (a) in accordance with this
section, the Secretary may—
(i)revoke or suspend funding for such grant, in whole or in part;
(ii)accept
applications from other eligible entities to administer and implement the
fellowship program established under subsection (a); and
(iii)transfer funding
revoked or suspended under clause (i) to the eligible entity the Secretary
selects after reviewing applications submitted under clause (ii).
(f)In this section:
(1)The term
eligible faculty member
means an individual who is a faculty
member of a qualified institution.
(2)The term eligible student
is a student who
is—
(A)enrolled in the Master’s International
program of the Peace Corps;
(B)enrolled and in
good academic standing at a qualified institution; and
(C)pursuing a
master’s or other graduate degree in an area of study related to the
eradication of world hunger and malnutrition.
(3)The term qualified institution
means—
(A)an institution of
higher education specified in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)); or
(B)a land-grant
college or university.
(g)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through
2018.
.
(b)Submission of
initial assessmentThe first assessment required under subsection
(f) of section 1459B of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (as added by subsection (a) of this section) shall
be submitted not later than 30 days after the date on which the first year of
service of the first fellowship awarded under such section ends (as determined
by the Secretary of Agriculture).