[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28724]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: November 25, 1994]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Social Science Curriculum Development at Selected Central
European Universities
ACTION: Notice; Request for Proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Advising, Teaching, and Specialized Programs Division of
the Office of Academic Programs of the United States Information
Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open
competition for an assistance award. Public or private non-profit
organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation
501(c)(3) may apply to cooperate with USIA in the administration of
Year One of a three to five-year project to support the development of
instruction in the social sciences, especially political science and
public policy analysis, at universities in Hungary, Poland, and
Romania. The primary departments participating in the project are the
Center for Public Affairs Studies at the Budapest University of
Economic Sciences, Hungary; the Institute of Sociology at Warsaw
University, Poland; and the Department of Political Science at Babes-
Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In addition to supporting
the development of programs at these core departments, the project will
also enable scholars and students from other institutions in the region
to participate in the programs to be based primarily in Warsaw,
Budapest, and Cluj-Napoca. The project to be funded in Year One of this
program may be implemented over a two-year period and will assist in
the development and teaching of up-to-date Western university-level
social science curricula.
The rationale for the project is based on the expectation that
after the students and faculty involved with this project are equipped
to analyze social, political, and public policy issues in an
empirically grounded manner, empirical research methods and analytical
tools will increasingly inform public debate about these issues, and
will encourage cooperation among scholars and public servants.
The USIA solicits detailed proposals from U.S. educational
institutions and public and private non-profit organizations to develop
and administer a comprehensive range of exchange mechanisms and related
activities, including assistance with curriculum and materials
development and acquisition, and to identify and cooperate with
appropriate U.S. departments and scholars in support of the project.
The award to cooperate with the USIA on Year One of the project will be
renewable for up to two additional fiscal years that may comprise up to
four additional program years upon successful completion of Year One
activity. Applicants should propose detailed, creative programs for all
three countries for Year One of the project and should outline a
strategy for the on-going assessment of Year One programs to determine
program effectiveness and to facilitate the definition of programs for
two additional fiscal years. The cooperation with USIA will include
regular consultation with USIA and USIS field posts with regard to
program implementation, direction, and assessment. Proposals should
demonstrate both an understanding of the issues confronting central
European universities and expertise in the teaching and practice of the
social sciences in U.S. higher education, including graduate education.
The funding authority for the program cited above is provided
through the Support for East European Democracies Act (SEED). Programs
and projects must conform with Agency requirements and guidelines
outlined in the Application Package. USIA projects and programs are
subject to the availability of funds.
ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
E/AS-95-01.
DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC, time on Friday, January
20, 1995. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents
postmarked by January 20 but received at a later date. It is the
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received
by the above deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Academic Programs, Advising,
Teaching, and Specialized Programs Division, E/AS (room 256), U.S.
Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547,
telephone number: 202-619-6038, telefax number: 202-619-6790, e-mail:
[email protected], to request an Application Package, which includes
more detailed award criteria; all application forms; and guidelines for
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the
proposal budget. Please specify USIA Academic Exchange Specialist Paul
Hiemstra on all inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants
should read the complete Federal Register announcement before
addressing inquiries to the Advising, Teaching, and Specialized
Programs Division (Dr. Hiemstra) or submitting their proposals.
ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Application Package and send only complete applications to: U.S.
Information Agency, Ref.: E/AS-95-01, Office of Grants Management, E/
XE, room 336, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
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. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the
broadest sense and encompass differences including but not limited to
race, gender, religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and
physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to
the advancement of this principle. Academic programs under the
authority of the Bureau must maintain their scholarly integrity.
Overview
The goal of the project is to assist the Center for Public Affairs
Studies at the Budapest University of Economic Sciences, the Institute
of Sociology at Warsaw University, the Department of Political Science
at Babes-Bolyai University, and social science departments at other
universities in the region to develop up-to-date curricula, revise
existing curricula, establish new courses, and develop and utilize new
teaching methodologies and materials in local languages. In addition to
a common emphasis on public policy analysis, the program at Warsaw
University will also include empirically based approaches to the study
of industrial relations, while at Babes-Bolyai University the program
will also include the study of comparative politics and other aspects
of political science.
The curricular development at all three departments will emphasize
empirical methods and will enable faculty and students to gain
experience with the tools for analyzing social, political, and public
policy issues empirically. At the conclusion of the project, the
faculty at participating departments should be capable of teaching the
newly introduced or revised courses with appropriate teaching materials
and should be able to participate more fully in international scholarly
dialogue in their respective disciplines. Students graduating from the
participating departments should be prepared to assume responsibilities
in public service, education, and the private sector with the expertise
required to plan and evaluate programs responsibly.
Participants
The project is designed for the following participants: faculty and
students associated with the departments identified for primary
support; faculty and students from other institutions in the region;
and postdoctoral specialists from the U.S. who are qualified to train
the central European faculty and students (applicant organizations do
not need to obtain letters of commitment from the primary foreign
institutions, which have indicated their interest and commitment
directly to USIA). The primary departments are:
(a) Budapest University of Economics, Center for Public Affairs
Studies, to assist in developing the Center's program for students
specializing in empirically based public policy analysis;
(b) Warsaw University, Institute of Sociology, to develop programs
of instruction in empirically based approaches to industrial relations
and public policy analysis;
(c) Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of History and Philosophy, to
develop a department of political science emphasizing empirical
methods, public policy analysis, and comparative politics.
(d) In addition, funds are available to enable the participation of
faculty and students from other institutions in Poland, Hungary, and
Romania in programs offered in cooperation with the three core
universities.
Logistics
The recipient organization will be responsible for most
arrangements associated with this program. These include providing
international and domestic travel arrangements for all participants,
making lodging and local transportation arrangements for visitors,
orienting and debriefing participants, preparing any necessary support
material, and working with the foreign participating universities, U.S.
host institutions and individual grantees to achieve maximum program
effectiveness.
Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements
U.S. lecturers and consultants participating in the project must be
U.S. citizens. Programs must comply with PJ-1 visa regulations. Please
refer to program specific guidelines in Application Package for further
details. Administration of the program must be in compliance with
reporting and withholding regulations for federal, state, and local
taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax
regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.
Program Description
Exchange and non-exchange activities should complement and
reinforce one another within and among the primary supported
departments and at other institutions in Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
The ability to coordinate and evaluate exchange mechanisms and other
activities to support the goal of faculty and curriculum development in
the primary departments and at other institutions will be critical to
the success of the project.
The program description detailed in this Request for Proposals is
for Year One of the project. The grantee organization will cooperate
with USIA, U.S. Information Service (ISIS) field posts, and
participating departments in defining the program mixture for two
additional fiscal years' funding on the basis of formative program
evaluations and assessments. The following mechanisms will be utilized
in Year One:
(a) Approximately twelve junior faculty development grants, to
bring faculty to the U.S. for programs of six weeks to one semester to
develop new courses under the supervision of faculty members at leading
U.S. departments in appropriate fields;
(b) Approximately three senior lectureships, to send senior U.S.
specialists for programs of approximately one semester to teach
courses, advise faculty, and assess program developments;
(c) Approximately four junior lectureships, to send recent
graduates of leading U.S. doctoral programs for programs of
approximately two semesters to teach courses and participate with local
faculty and students in research projects;
(d) Approximately eight distinguished consultancies, to send senior
U.S. specialists (possibly including but not limited to the faculty
mentors of the foreign faculty development grantees) for programs of
approximately two weeks in length to teach short courses, advises
faculty, and assess program developments;
(e) Approximately $160,000 total for all three countries for
equipment, books, and journal subscriptions selected to support
instruction in the developing curricula;
(f) Translation of approximately twelve textbooks or collections of
articles relevant to the program at each participating institution;
(g) A program of locally based collaborative student/faculty
research at each primary department to enable local faculty and
visiting U.S. lecturers jointly to train advanced students in empirical
research skills by collaborating on projects designed to study and
analyze local social and political problems, particularly those related
to democratization;
(h) Approximately four graduate student research awards
(approximately one semester in length) for consultation and study in
the U.S. with scholars whose expertise is critical to the subject or
methodology of the student's thesis or other research interest;
(i) Intensive seminars to be held in cooperation with the
participating departments for the purpose of developing locally based
scholarly networks and to include faculty members and advanced students
from other institutions in the region in discussions of the newly
taught methodologies, subjects, and approaches.
Proposed Budget
Applicants are invited to submit a detailed budget for a total
grant not to exceed $1,242,247 for Year One of the project, with the
possibility of renewal at a level not to exceed this amount for each of
two additional fiscal years contingent upon availability of funds.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for Year One of the
project. The project to be funded in Year One may be implemented over a
two-year period. There must be a summary budget as well as a break-down
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget.
Within the program budget, at least $305,593 should be designated for
Poland; at least $305,593 should be designated for Hungary; at least
$382,612 should be designated for Romania. For better understanding or
further clarification, applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for
each program component, location, or activity in order to facilitate
USIA decisions on funding. The total institutional administrative costs
funded by USIA in Year One may not exceed $248,449 or 20% (twenty
percent) of the total request, whichever is less. Please refer to the
Application Package for complete formatting instructions.
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 stated herein and in the
Application Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Office of
East European and NIS Affairs and the relevant USIA posts overseas.
Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or
by other Agency elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of
the USIA Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for grant awards resides with the USIA grants
officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the project and the
Agency mission. Proposals should reflect an advanced, current
understanding of relevant scholarly fields and disciplines.
2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described
above.
3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of
information and establishment of long-term institutional and scholarly
linkages, including professional associations.
5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity throughout the program. This can be accomplished through
documentation (such as a written statement or account) summarizing past
and/or on-going activities and efforts that further the principle of
diversity within both the organization and the program activities.
6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the project's
goals. The applicant organization should demonstrate a capacity to work
cooperatively with U.S. scholars and graduate departments of political
science and public administration, with U.S. scholarly organizations,
and with all three participating central European institutions as well
as relevant foreign scholarly organizations.
7. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an
institutional record of successful, high quality exchange programs,
including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all
reporting requirements for past Agency grants as determined by USIA's
Office of Contracts. The Agency will consider the past performance of
prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide both a plan for
continuing activity (with USIA support) based on project evaluation and
a strategy for encouraging coordinated concurrent and subsequent
supplementary activities (without USIA support) to ensure that the
USIA-supported project will not be an isolated event.
9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a comprehensive
plan to evaluate the project's success both as the activities unfold
and at the end of the project. USIA recommends that the proposal
include a draft survey questionnaire and/or outline of other techniques
including a methodology for completing baseline assessments and
defining program needs for later years of the project through the
evaluation of program outcomes with relation to project objectives.
Demonstration of a carefully considered and feasible plan for
evaluating the project will be critical to the proposal review process.
Award-receiving organizations/institutions will be expected to submit
quarterly reports.
10. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects will
be assessed by USIA's geographic area desk and overseas officers with
regard to program need, potential impact, and significance in the
partner countries.
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. The needs of the program may require the
award to be reduced, revised, or increased. Final awards cannot be made
until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed
through internal USIA procedures.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about March 6, 1995. Awards made will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Dated: November 15, 1994.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-28724 Filed 11-23-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M