[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 34 (Friday, February 18, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-3677]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 18, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
 

Russian Teaching Assistants Program (RTAP) in the United States

AGENCY: United States Information Agency.

ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Information Agency (USIA) invites 
applications from U.S. educational, cultural, and other not-for-profit 
organizations, to arrange a teaching assistantship program primarily 
for a full academic year for up to 60 young Russian graduate students 
and recent graduates of pedagogical institutions. The program should 
provide participants with assistantships to teach at U.S. post-
secondary institutions under professional supervision and expose them 
to U.S. teaching methods, teaching aids, curricula, and technology used 
at both the secondary and post-secondary levels.
    This program is funded by the Freedom Support Act, and final awards 
are subject to the availability of FY 94 funds.

DATES: Deadline for proposals. All copies must be received at USIA by 5 
p.m. Washington, DC time, on March 18, 1994. Faxed documents will not 
be accepted, nor will documents postmarked March 18 but received at a 
later date. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that 
proposals are received by the above deadline.
    Approximate program dates (participants' arrival and departure): 
August 26, 1994, to end of the academic year in May or June 1995.
    Duration: The award will begin approximately four months prior to 
participants' arrival date in August 1994. The termination date will be 
approximately three months following participants' departure. No funds 
may be expended until the agreement is signed.

ADDRESSES: Three originals, containing tabs A-U (see ``Application 
Checklist'' in Application Package), and 10 copies, containing tabs A-
D, of the completed proposal are to be submitted in the format 
described in the Bureau's Application Package and mailed to: U.S. 
Information Agency, Ref.: Russian Teaching Assistants Program (RTAP) in 
the U.S., Grants Management Division, E/XE, room 336, 301 4th Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20547.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Interested U.S. organizations should 
contact Dr. Katherine Passias at the U.S. Information Agency, Advising, 
Teaching, and Specialized Programs Division, Fulbright Teacher Exchange 
Branch (E/ASX), room 353, 301 4th St., SW., Washington, DC 20547, 
telephone: (202) 619-4556, to request detailed application packets, 
which include award criteria additional to this announcement, all 
necessary forms, and guidelines for preparing proposals, including 
specific budget preparation information, and the Attachment Checklist 
outlining the contents of a complete application package.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing 
legislation, programs must maintain a nonpolitical character and should 
be balanced and representative of the diversity of American political, 
social, and cultural life.

Overview

    U.S. institutions applying for the Russian Teaching Assistants 
Program (RTAP) cooperative agreement must have a minimum of four years 
experience in successfully administering international exchange 
programs. The RTAP should provide assistantships in U.S. post-secondary 
institutions for up to 60 Russian graduate students and recent 
graduates of pedagogical institutions in the fields of social sciences, 
business education, and English as a foreign language. The program 
should expose teaching assistants to U.S. teaching methods and 
approaches at both secondary and post-secondary levels under the 
supervision of experienced U.S. teachers in the respective fields of 
specialization. The program should provide opportunities for 
participants to take courses for credit or non-credit to broaden their 
knowledge in their field(s) of specialization and about U.S. 
institutions, culture and society. The RTAP experience should also 
enhance the teaching assistants' understanding of the U.S. educational 
and political institutions, society and culture. While the benefits of 
the exchange will be directly felt by the Russian teaching assistants, 
U.S. institutions and individuals will also gain from the cultural and 
professional expertise which these Russian teaching assistants have to 
offer. The host institution may also utilize the teaching assistants as 
resource persons in Russian language and culture or as occasional 
lecturers in courses related to the Russian language, society and 
culture. Participants will have a good working knowledge of English.
    Placements should be primarily for a full academic year in two-year 
and four-year U.S. colleges and universities, which may include 
accredited schools of business and technical institutes. Under special 
circumstances, one semester placements may be considered, but should be 
kept to a minimum. Participants should be placed as assistants to one 
or two professors for no more than three different courses, preferably 
two, in a given subject area, and allowed to take a minimum of two 
courses for credit or non-credit.
    Host institutions' cost sharing of educational and living expenses 
of the teaching assistants while they are on campus is mandatory in 
this program. The recipient organization will be responsible for the 
following functions:
    1. Negotiating host institutions' tuition waivers and campus or 
other housing costs;
    2. Making round-trip international travel arrangements for 
participants from points of departure in Russia to Washington, DC;
    3. Meeting participants upon arrival;
    4. Arranging a three-day orientation program in Washington, DC, at 
the beginning of the program and a one-day debriefing/re-entry program 
in Washington, DC, prior to participants departure for Russia;
    5. Disbursing the following stipends under the cooperative 
agreement:
    a. A monthly stipend of $900 for each participant to cover meals, 
incidentals and miscellaneous educational costs,
    b. A one-time settling-in allowance of $200, and
    c. A one-time educational book allowance of $300; and
    6. Procuring from U.S. private-sector donations, or purchasing at 
minimal cost, new or used personal computers for the Russian 
participants.

Guidelines

    Eligibility: U.S. non-profit educational, cultural, and other not-
for-profit organizations that have a minimum of four years experience 
with international exchange programs are eligible to apply. The project 
director or key program staff responsible for the administration of 
RTAP must have demonstrated expertise in conducting successful exchange 
programs, preferably with some expertise in U.S.-Russian exchanges. The 
recipient organization's staff traveling under USIA cooperative 
agreement support must be U.S. citizens with demonstrated 
qualifications for this service.
    Program planning and administration: The recipient organization 
will perform administrative and program functions to successfully place 
up to 60 Russian teaching assistants in regionally accredited post-
secondary institutions with the review and approval of USIA.
    Proposals submitted by applicants must address in detail the 
activities listed below as well as other administrative activities 
deemed necessary to successfully carry out this program:
    A. The recruitment, selection, and placement in U.S. post-secondary 
institutions: The recipient organization will be solely responsible for 
identifying accredited two-year and four-year colleges and 
universities, including schools of business and technical institutes, 
to host selected participants and for negotiating the terms of the 
assistantships. Placements should be for one full academic year at the 
post-secondary level. Single semester placements may be considered but 
should be kept to a minimum. The recipient organization must 
demonstrate the capability to secure quality post-secondary placements 
and ensure that host institutions will abide by the RTAP guidelines and 
accept the cost-sharing arrangements required by the program.
    U.S. colleges and universities participating in RTAP should reflect 
broad institutional and geographic diversity throughout the U.S. 
Additionally, in selecting participating host institutions, the 
recipient organization should be mindful of USIA's goal to reflect the 
cultural and ethnic diversity of the U.S.
    The recipient organization will generate an application packet for 
U.S. host institutions. Application packets going to prospective host 
institutions should request detailed information about the availability 
of assistantships for the Russian participants, including the title of 
the course(s), the department within the institution awarding the 
assistantship, the terms of their cost-sharing agreement signed by an 
authorizing official, and how they will use the participants as 
resource persons. The USIA Fulbright Teacher Exchange Branch can offer 
guidance on developing application packets for the host institutions.

    Note: USIA contacts in Russia will generate an application 
packet for the Russian teaching assistants and recruit and screen 
applicants. Applications with supporting documents to be used for 
placement purposes in the U.S. will be sent to the U.S. recipient 
organization through USIA.

    B. Orientation and Debriefing/re-entry Programs: The recipient 
organization will be responsible for planning and organizing, in 
consultation with USIA, a three-day orientation program at the 
beginning of the program and a one-day debriefing/re-entry program at 
the end of the program in Washington, DC.

    Note: These are program days and do not include arrival and 
departure days to respective sites.

    A campus site in the D.C. area is highly recommended for these 
activities. The orientation program content and format will be subject 
to approval by the USIA program office and should be planned in 
consultation with that office. The orientation activities should 
include a general introduction to American culture, society, education 
systems and institutions; teaching methods in the social sciences, 
business education, and English as a foreign language; and a thorough 
briefing of the RTAP program requirements and guidelines.
    For the debriefing/re-entry program at the end of the academic 
year, the recipient organization will be responsible for a two- to 
three-hour re-entry discussion session USIA program office staff 
present. The USIA program office will be responsible for conducting an 
oral evaluation of the program and a briefing about Agency educational 
materials and resources available to participants abroad through the 
USIA cultural service in Russia, the U.S. Information Service (USIS).
    The recipient organization will also generate an orientation packet 
for the Russian teaching assistants about the RTAP program and studying 
and living in the U.S., which may be mailed to the participants prior 
to their departure for the U.S. The USIA program office can provide the 
recipient organization with sample orientation materials of similar 
programs.
    C. Evaluation and Follow-up: The recipient organization will be 
required to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and submit a 
summary of the findings to the USIA program office. Two evaluation 
instruments should be developed, one to be completed by the RTAP 
participants and another by the host institutions. The evaluation 
instruments should be submitted to USIA for review and approval.
    D. Administration Logistics: The recipient organization will be 
responsible for arranging round-trip international travel from points 
of departure to Washington, DC, and U.S. domestic travel from 
Washington, DC, to the campus site of assigned host institutions; 
assisting participants with their return travel when necessary; 
coordinating all aspects of the orientation and debriefing/re-entry 
programs; meeting participants upon arrival in Washington, DC; 
disbursing monthly stipends (which may be disbursed on a quarterly 
basis) and other allowances; preparing and sending necessary pre-
departure orientation materials; briefing participants on USIA medical 
insurance coverage and U.S. government tax regulations; and monitoring 
the teaching assistants while on campus to ensure that the program 
guidelines are observed.
    The recipient organization will also be required to liaise with the 
USIA contact office in Moscow responsible for recruiting the Russian 
participants to coordinate international travel arrangements and 
orientation program dates in Washington, DC.
    Application Requirements: Proposals must be submitted by the 
deadline and must conform to the eligibility requirements and academic 
fields identified in this announcement. In addition to the required 
tabs (A-U) of the ``Application Checklist'' included in the complete 
application package, proposals should also include:
    1. A complete program schedule and timeline and a plan for 
reviewing and selecting U.S. colleges and universities. (Note: The 
Agency will participate in the final review process.)
    2. Provisions for a ``multiplier effect,'' i.e., future follow-up 
and networking between the Russian participants and the appropriate 
U.S. educational, community and scholarly organizations and 
institutions.

Proposed Budget

    Applicant organizations must submit a comprehensive line item 
budget, including derivational costs for each item. Administrative and 
participant program costs must be listed separately. Budget details are 
available in the application packet. Administrative costs, including 
indirect costs, should be kept as low as possible. Administrative costs 
should be prorated over the entire grant period (approximately fifteen 
months), indicating percentage of time required for each major 
administrative function within the required time frame to successfully 
carry out that function, e.g., percent of time required for 
recruitment, placement, and planning and organizing the Washington 
orientation and debriefing/re-entry programs, etc.
    The USIA cooperative agreement will provide a stipend of $900 per 
month for each participant for the entire grant period, which should 
not exceed ten months, to cover meals, other educational and living 
expenses, and incidental expenses, a one-time settling-in allowance of 
$200, and a one-time book allowance of $300. Host institutions' tuition 
waiver and campus or other housing accommodations, should be included 
in the budget as host institutions' estimated cost-sharing for each 
item. Procurement of private-sector-donated personal computers should 
also be included as a cost-sharing item, or as a cost item as 
appropriate. Administration of tax withholding and reporting required 
by Federal, State and Local authorities and in accordance with relevant 
tax treaties are allowable costs.
    Per diem and domestic travel for the Washington, DC programs should 
be budgeted as separate items. Budgets that do not allocate 
administrative and program costs consistent with the budget 
instructions will not be considered. The Agency reserves the right to 
reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the 
needs of the program, which may be imposed by social or economic 
changes in Russia during the grant period. Administrative costs should 
be kept as low as possible. Cost effectiveness should be an important 
consideration in developing total budget costs. Organizations should be 
familiar with grant regulations described in OMB Circulars A110, A122/
A-21 and A133/A128.
    Cost-sharing of the recipient organization may be in the form of 
allowable direct or indirect costs. The recipient must maintain written 
records to support all allowable costs which are claimed as being its 
contribution to cost participation, as well as costs to be paid by the 
Federal Government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis for 
determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in 
accordance with OMB Circular A110, Attachment E--Cost Sharing and 
Matching and should be described in the proposal. In the event the 
recipient does not provide the minimum amount of cost sharing as 
stipulated in the recipient's budget, the Agency's contribution will be 
reduced in proportion to the recipient's contribution. Programs must 
conform to all Agency requirements, eligibility factors and budget 
guidelines contained in the application package, and are subject to 
final review by the USIA contracting officer.
    The recipient's proposal shall include the cost of an audit that:
    (1) Complies with the requirements of OMB Circular No. A-133, 
Audits of Institutions of Higher Education and Other Nonprofit 
Institutions;
    (2) Complies with the requirements of American Institute of 
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) No. 
92-9; and
    (3) Includes review of the recipient's independent auditor of a 
recipient-prepared supplemental schedule of indirect cost rate 
computation, if such a rate is being proposed.
    The audit costs shall be identified separately for:
    (1) Preparation of basic financial statements and other accounting 
services; and
    (2) Preparation of the supplemental reports and schedules required 
by OMB Circular No. A-133, AICPA SOP 92-9, and the review of the 
supplemental schedule of indirect cost rate computation.

Review Process

    USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them 
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they 
do not fully adhere to the guidelines established herein and in the 
application packet. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be 
reviewed by USIA's geographic area office, and the budget and contracts 
offices. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Agency's General 
Counsel. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the Associate 
Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical 
authority for USIA cooperative agreement awards resides with USIA's 
contracting officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the following criteria:
    1. Overall quality: The content, definition, organization, and 
detailed planning of all aspects of the program; appropriateness of 
program plan and content to program objectives; in-depth knowledge of 
the U.S. educational community; experience and expertise of the project 
director and professional staff assigned to the program; evidence of 
understanding of Russian culture and civilization and cross-cultural 
needs of participants.
    2. Program planning: Rigor of logistical planning of all components 
of the program, including the Washington, DC, orientation; adequacy, 
relevancy and appropriateness of the program plan to achieve program 
objectives; evidence of administrative capabilities (with specific 
discussion of how administrative and logistical arrangements will be 
undertaken); and strategy to ensure availability, adequacy, and 
appropriateness of host institutions' housing and other institutional 
support consistent with program guidelines and objectives.
    3. Institutional capacity: Adequacy of proposed resources, 
including professional staff and available educational network(s), to 
successfully administer RTAP.
    4. Institution's Track Record/Ability: Clear evidence of applicant 
institution's track record of successful programs and experience with 
similar international exchange programs and preferably with some 
experience with U.S.-Russian exchanges. Demonstrated expertise of the 
Project Director to assume the administration of this program.
    5. Evaluation and follow-up: Adequacy of an evaluation plan to 
determine the effectiveness of the program, which should include 
monitoring procedures and evaluation instruments to be completed at the 
end of the program by RTAP teaching assistants and host institutions; 
and adequacy of the follow-up procedures and provisions for 
``multiplier effect,'' i.e., future follow-up and networking between 
the Russian participants and the appropriate U.S. educational, 
community and scholarly organizations and institutions.
    6. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the program, as well as salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate. 
In-kind contributions should also be considered.
    7. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
host institutions and other private sector support as well as 
institutional direct funding contributions.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on 
the part of the Government. Final awards cannot be made until funds 
have been fully appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed 
through internal USIA procedures.
    The winning organization may be asked to conduct a second and 
possibly third year of the RTAP, depending upon performance during year 
one and the availability of funds.

Notification

    All applicants will be notified of the results of the review 
process in April 1994. Awarded grants will be subject to periodic 
reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: February 10, 1994.
Barry Fulton,
Acting Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-3677 Filed 2-17-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M