[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26920-26922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-12351]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Administration of the 1996 U.S. Based Training Program for 
Overseas Educational Advisers

ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Advising and Student Services Branch of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
announces an open competition for an assistance award. The proposal, 
which can be submitted by public and private non-profit organizations 
meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(C)(3)-
1, should describe the design of two training programs for USIA-
affiliated mid-level overseas educational advisers to be held in late 
spring and fall of 1996. The training programs' objectives are to 
strengthen and develop the skills of more experienced overseas 
educational advisers so that they can train beginning advisers and 
advance the field of educational advising in their home countries. A 
successful training program should provide in-depth exposure to the 
mechanics of international study on a U.S. university campus 
(admissions and international office), advances in technology 
(internet), and outreach strategies, (fundraising and management of 
volunteers). Each session should last three weeks, with a beginning 
week in Washington, DC or other suitable city for workshops, research 
opportunities and discussions; a one-week to ten-day internship at a 
U.S. college or university campus for an in-depth exposure to 
international student admission and advising; and approximately one 
week or less at either the National NAFSA: Association of International 
Educators Conference in late May or one of the regional NAFSA 
conferences in the fall. Further clarification is provided in the 
application package. USIA anticipates awarding up to $205,000 to one 
organization to administer this program.

Background and Program Rationale

    The presence of international students and scholars on U.S. 
campuses contributes significantly to the academic quality and 
financial well-being of American higher education. In recognition of 
this, The United States Information Agency, maintains a network of 
educational advising centers overseas where objective information about 
study options and the application process to U.S. higher education is 
available to all prospective students, scholars, parents, governments 
ministries, and other interested individuals. These centers are staffed 
by educational advisers who must stay up to date with current trends in 
U.S. higher education, as well as remain knowledgeable about 
developments in technology, materials available, and management skills 
relevant to running busy centers.

Program Participants

    USIA will select participants for the training sessions from the 
corps of educational advisers who are part of the network of USIA-
affiliated advising centers overseas and who, based on seniority and 
previous job experience, are considered ``mid-level'' advisers. For the 
purposes of this RFP, mid-level advisers are defined as those who have 
mastered the following skills: (1) Knowledge of the U.S. and home 
country educational systems; (2) familiarity with the application 
process for U.S. higher education and training; (3) skills in advising 
and cross-cultural communication skills; (4) a basic understanding of 
the management theories and practices as they relate to educational 
advising.

Training Program Format

    The training program is intended for two separate groups of ten 
participants each and should contain sessions in Washington DC or other 
suitable city, an internship or other form of meaningful professional 
visit at a U.S. academic institution(s), and active attendance, to 
include at least one presentation, at either the national NAFSA: 
Association of International Educators conference or one of its 
regional fall conferences.
    The separate training programs should resemble each other in 
structure but have a different focus, thereby taking advantage of 
opportunities available at different times of the year. For instance, 
the spring session might concentrate on cultural adjustment (pre-
departure/re-entry issues) faced by [[Page 26921]] international 
students, whereas the fall session might focus on admissions issues. 
These are suggestions; USIA invites organizations to submit creative 
and flexible program plans which can be tailored to participants' 
individual needs. Nevertheless, the following components must be 
covered in each training course:
    Discussion of the current state of U.S. higher education and how it 
affects the work of the educational adviser; individual consultations 
with U.S. exchange organizations depending on participant's area of 
expertise; accreditation and degree equivalency issues; internet 
training; hands-on campus exposure to admissions and international 
student advising issues in the U.S.; exploration of alternate sources 
of support for educational advising, including fundraising techniques 
and managing volunteers. Please refer to program specific guidelines 
(POGI) and the ``Training and Professional Development'' report in the 
Solicitation Package for further details.

Proposed Budget

    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program (both sessions). For clarification, applicants should provide 
separate sub-budgets for each training component. There must be a 
summary budget as well as a breakdown reflecting both the 
administrative budget and the program budget based on the guidance in 
the Solicitation Package. USIA's grant assistance, up to $205,000 in 
total, is expected to constitute only a portion of the total project 
funding. Cost sharing is required and the proposal should list other 
anticipated sources of support. Organizations with fewer than four 
years of experience in conducting international exchange programs will 
not be eligible.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:
    (1) Salaries and fringe benefits; travel and per diem;
    (2) Other direct costs, inclusive of rent, utilities, etc.;
    (3) Indirect expenses, auditing costs;
    (4) Participant program costs; i.e. international/domestic travel, 
per diem, conference attendance, resource materials. Please refer to 
the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and 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 
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Area 
Offices and the USIS posts overseas, where appropriate. 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 assistance awards (grants or cooperative 
agreements) 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 demonstrate 
comprehensive understanding of current issues in international 
educational exchange and show clearly how the proposed course of study 
will give advisers the expertise to run efficient and effective 
advising centers. Training ideas should be innovative, interesting and 
engage the participants actively at all sessions of the program.
    2. Program planning: Proposals should contain a detailed agenda and 
syllabus, clearly showing how sessions will achieve program objectives. 
Proposals should demonstrate convincingly that the organization has the 
staff capacity and expertise to plan this complex set of training 
sessions. Agenda and plan should adhere to the program overview and 
guidelines described above.
    3. Multiplier effect/impact: The training program should put 
participants in tough with U.S. experts and international educators so 
that the maximum amount of information can be shared and professional 
linkages established.
    5. Support of diversity: The proposal should demonstrate how the 
participants will be exposed to the widest possible range of views and 
approaches to U.S. higher education. Attention should be paid to 
selecting the campuses for internships to represent different kinds of 
schools from various regions of the U.S.
    6. Institutional capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institution's record/ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of designing and running effective training 
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. Project evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, including participant evaluation forms, both as 
the activities unfold and at the end of the program. Award-receiving 
organizations/institutions will be expected to submit intermediate 
reports after each project component is concluded or quarterly, 
whichever is less frequent.
    9. 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.
    10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.

Authorization

    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of 
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase 
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the 
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us 
with other nations by demonstrting the educational and cultural 
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United 
States and other nations * * * and thus to assist in the development of 
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States 
and other countries of the world.''
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation 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/ASA-96-01.

Deadline for Proposals

    All copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency by 5 
p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday, July 28, 1995. Faxed documents will 
not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked July 28, but received at 
a [[Page 26922]] later date. It is the responsibility of each applicant 
to ensure that proposals are received by the above deadline. Grants 
should begin November 1, 1995 and run through December 31, 1996, with a 
starting date of May 1996 for the first training program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Advising and Student Services, E/ASA, 
Room 349, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20547, Tel: (202) 619-5434, Fax: (202) 401-1433. E-mail: 
[email protected]. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the 
program office and confirm understanding of the terms of this Request 
for Proposals before requesting a Solicitation Package, which includes 
more detailed award criteria; all application forms; and guidelines for 
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the 
proposal budget; a report/concept paper on training for educational 
advisers. The report should be used for general guidance only; in 
places where the recommendations of the report conflict with the RFP, 
it shall be the definitive document. (Note: the report/concept paper is 
available only upon specific request to E/ASA). Please specify USIA 
Program Officer Alexandra Hattemer on all inquiries and correspondence. 
Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register 
announcement before addressing inquiries to E/ASA or submitting their 
proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, E/ASA may not discuss this 
competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau proposal review 
process has been completed.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and eight copies of the complete 
application should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/ASA-96-
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 non-political 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, socio-
economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.

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 November 1, 1995. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: May 12, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-12351 Filed 5-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M