[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 169 (Thursday, August 31, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45511-45513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-21217]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Educational Advising Program for International Students and 
Scholars From the Middle East and North Africa

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. Public and 
private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply to develop educational 
advising centers in the following locations in the Middle East and 
North Africa: Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt; Amman, Jordan; Antelias and 
Ras Beirut, Lebanon; Rabat, Morocco; Damascus, Syria; Tunis, Tunisia; 
Sana'a, Yemen; East Jerusalem, and Jabriya, Kuwait. These centers will 
facilitate international educational exchange through overseas 
educational advising, orientation, and information services for foreign 
students and scholars seeking information on opportunities in U.S. 
higher education. The assistance award will also include the provision 
of regional educational advising consultancy services, to be based in 
an appropriate location within the region.

Overview

    The purpose of this grant is to provide overseas educational 
advising, orientation and information services for foreign students and 
scholars in the Middle East and North Africa concerning opportunities 
in U.S. higher education, and to coordinate services to advising 
centers through a regional consultancy. This program supports 
international educational exchange between countries of these regions 
and the U.S. through direct, field-based services. Consistent with the 
Agency's interest in reducing administrative layers and hierarchical 
structure, this program should primarily focus on providing advising 
services abroad.

Guidelines

    Proposals should be presented in four parts. The first should 
contain a brief overview of the organization, its history and purpose. 
Evidence of previous experience with advising or educational exchange 
of international students and scholars should also be included. The 
overview should indicate the total amount of funding requested and a 
justification for the request as well as a budget presentation 
outlining the total project costs.
    A listing of names, titles, addresses, and telephone number of the 
executive officer(s) of the organization and of the person(s) 
ultimately responsible for the project must be included in the 
proposal. Resumes or vitae of key personnel must be provided. USIA also 
recommends the inclusion of brochures and general information 
concerning the organization, e.g., organization charts, job 
descriptions, the names of board members (or similar group), the number 
of employees, etc.
    The second part of the proposal should contain individual 
subsections that describe in detail each advising center, its proposed 
location and hours of operation, a proposed staffing pattern (including 
the percentage of time each employee will devote to advising activities 
and a description of their functions and responsibilities), an 
estimated budget for each office, and information delineating the 
services that will be provided by each center. A resume or brief 
narrative explaining the qualifications of the person or persons who 
would have primary responsibility for conducting advising and/or 
providing oversight of the advising center should also be included. 
Each appropriate subsection should describe any special language 
capability or area expertise possessed by potential advising center 
staff. Proposals should demonstrate each center's ability to provide 
the following educational advising services to international students 
and scholars:
    1. Information and guidance on U.S. educational institutions, 
systems, tuition and related costs, fields of study, specialized 
training, etc.;
    2. Information and advising on U.S. standardized tests, e.g., 
TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, USMLE, etc., to include the provision of registration 
application forms, bulletins and testing schedules;
    3. Information and research on short-term institutional training in 
technical and professional fields;
    4. Information on English language training programs in the U.S.;
    5. Group and individual advising sessions, pre-departure 
orientation and re-entry programs, as appropriate for the location.
    6. Student access to comprehensive university catalogs in print, 
microfiche and/or electronic format and current references on U.S. 
educational institutions and programs.
    7. To the extent possible, each advising center should be equipped 
with equipment for students' use, such as videocassette players with 
appropriate videotapes and computers with appropriate software.
    USIA expects the recipient organization to provide appropriate 
supervision of and administrative support to its advisers and staff in 
the field. The third part of the proposal should address the extent to 
which the headquarters office will support its advising centers abroad. 
This support may include financial and administrative oversight and 
direction, and where appropriate, resources development to support the 
work of the 

[[Page 45512]]
regional educational advising consultancy.
    The fourth part of the proposal should demonstrate how the 
applicant organization plans to implement the Regional Educational 
Advising Consultancy (REAC). This consultancy will provide support, 
training, and regional coordination among advising centers located 
throughout the Middle East and North African region. Responsibilities 
of the REAC include: Responding to individual queries from advisers; 
developing a regional newsletter; coordinating regional professional 
development activities such as workshops; facilitating communication 
between advising centers, posts, and USIA offices; sharing of 
information including materials developed by centers within the region, 
outside of the region, and other REACs; following trends in U.S.-Middle 
East/North African exchange; disseminating information on the latest 
developments in technology; and providing direct guidance to advisers 
through site visits, internships, training and in-country workshops. 
The REAC should serve as an expert resource for other advisers to 
locate information that is not easily accessible, and should have the 
capability to secure such information from sources available within the 
REAC office as well as from other appropriate sources, e.g., academic 
institutions and professional organizations. The REAC should place 
special emphasis on training advisers to seek a variety of sources of 
funding to support their centers. The REAC position must be held by one 
person only, and should serve advising centers in the following 
countries and areas: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, 
Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, 
United Arab Emirates, West Bank, and Yemen. A more complete description 
of the duties and responsibilities of the REAC is available upon 
request from the USIA program office.

Proposed Budget

    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. There must be a summary budget as well as a break-down 
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. For 
better understanding or further clarification, applicants should 
provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, 
location, or activity in order to facilitate USIA decisions on funding. 
Applicants must submit a comprehensive line item budget at two funding 
levels, based on the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package. At 
the first level, USIA grant assistance will not exceed $570,000. Of 
this amount, not more than $180,000 may be attributed to overhead 
expenses. The overall and overhead amounts for the second level are 
$510,000 and $160,000 respectively. At the second level, the recipient 
organization will not be required to provide advising services in 
Rabat, Morocco and Tunis, Tunisia. At either level, funding for the 
Regional Educational Advising Consultancy should not exceed $50,000 and 
funding for headquarters support should not exceed $60,000. The total 
award amount is expected to constitute only a portion of total project 
funding. Because cost sharing is required, proposals should list other 
anticipated sources of support. USIA encourages charging reasonable 
fees for services; consult the Program Specific Guidelines for further 
information. All grant applications should demonstrate financial and 
in-kind support. Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less 
than four years of experience in conducting international exchange 
programs will be limited to $60,000.
    Proposals must include:
    1. A budget outlining the total project costs;
    2. A budget for each of the eleven centers;
    3. A budget reflecting the costs for headquarters research and 
resource support;
    4. A budget for the Regional Educational Advising Consultancy; and
    5. A listing of advising center locations, if any, that would not 
be operated at the second level of funding.
    Each budget should be presented in a multi-column format that 
clearly identified the following categories: Line item, amount of USIA 
support, amount of in-kind support/amount provided by other funding 
sources. Any relevant budgetary notes or explanations should be 
included.
    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) Overhead expenses, auditing costs, subject to limits outlined 
above.
    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 Office of 
North African, Near Eastern, and South Asian Affairs and the USIA 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. 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.
    2. Institutional Capacity and Record: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the program or project's goals, including responsible fiscal management 
and full compliance with all reporting requirements. The Agency will 
consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated 
potential of new applicants.
    3. Project Monitoring and Evaluation: Proposals should include a 
plan to monitor the program and to evaluate its achievements. USIA 
recommends that the proposal include a draft survey questionnaire or 
other technique plus description of a methodology to use to link 
outcomes to original project objectives. The recipient organization 
will be expected to submit intermediate reports after each project 
component is concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
    4. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. The program should emphasize field-based services.
    5. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support, as well as through institutional direct 
funding contributions, including charging fees for services.
    6. Demonstrated ability to work with foreign educational 
institutions and governmental entities as well as with 

[[Page 45513]]
other sponsors of education and training programs. Ability to operate 
advising centers and a Regional Educational Advising Consultancy in 
each of the aforementioned locations as of the starting date of the 
grant. This includes demonstration of ability to acquire any and all 
legal documentation permitting the organization to function in 
countries mentioned above by the starting date of the grant.
    7. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant 
features should be cited in both program administration (selection of 
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content 
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials 
and follow-up activities).

Authorization

    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Pub. L. 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 demonstrating 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 the 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 Title and Number

    All communications with USIA concerning this announcement should 
refer to the above title and reference number E/ASA-96-06.

Deadline for Proposals

    All copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency by 5 
p.m. Washington, DC time on Monday, October 16, 1995. Faxed documents 
will not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked October 16, 1995 
but received at a later date. It is the responsibility of each 
applicant to ensure that proposals are received by the above deadline. 
Grants should begin no earlier than January 1, 1996 and end no later 
than December 31, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Advising and Student Services Branch, 
E/ASA, Room 349, Office of Academic Programs, U.S. Information Agency, 
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, telephone 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. Please 
specify USIA Program Officer Amy Forest on all inquiries and 
correspondences. Interested applicants should read the complete Federal 
Register announcement before addressing inquiries to the Advising and 
Student Services Branch or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP 
deadline has passed, the Advising and Student Services Branch may not 
discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau 
proposal review process has been completed.

Submissions

    Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and ten copies of the complete application, plus 
one extra copy of the cover sheet, should be sent to: U.S. Information 
Agency, Ref.: E/ASA-96-06, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 
301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette, 
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS) 
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit 
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review, 
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get overseas posts' 
comments for the Agency's grants review process.

Diversity Guidelines

    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 ethnicity, 
race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and 
physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to 
the advancement of this principle, both in program administration and 
in program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the 
``Support for Diversity'' section for specific suggestions on 
incorporating diversity into the overall proposal.

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 Agency reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of 
the program. 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 December 11, 1995. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: August 18, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-21217 Filed 8-30-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M