[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4396-4397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2195]
[[Page 4395]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part III
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Postsecondary Education Improvement Fund; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 19 / Wednesday, January 29, 1997 /
Notices
[[Page 4396]]
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No. 84.116J]
Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education--Special
Focus Competition: Higher Education Collaboration Between the United
States and the European Community; Notice Inviting Application for New
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1997
Purpose of Program: To provide grants to enter into cooperative
agreements to improve postsecondary education opportunities by focusing
on problem areas or improvement approaches in postsecondary education.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education or
combinations of such institutions and other public and private
nonprofit educational institutions and agencies.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 1997.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 15, 1997.
Applications Available: January 30, 1997.
Available Funds: $1,150,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$175,000 for three years.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $160,000 for three years.
Estimated Number of Awards: 5-10.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75 [except as
noted in 34 CFR 630.4(a)(2)], 77, 79, 82, 85, and 86; and (b) the
regulations for this program in 34 CFR Part 630.
Priority
Invitational Priority
Under 34 CFR 630.11(b)(1), the Secretary is particularly interested
in applications that meet the invitational priority in the next
paragraph. However, an application that meets this invitational
priority does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Invitational Priority: Projects that support consortia of
institutions of higher education that promote institutional cooperation
and student mobility between the United States and the member states of
the European Union.
Selection Criteria
In evaluating applications for grants under this program
competition, the Secretary uses the following selection criteria chosen
from those listed in 34 CFR 630.32:
(a) Significance for Postsecondary Education. The Secretary reviews
each proposed project for its significance in improving postsecondary
education by determining the extent to which it would--
(1) Achieve the purposes of the particular program competition as
referenced in 34 CFR 630.11(b)(1);
(2) Address the program priorities for the particular program
competition;
(A) Encourage cooperation by consortia of American and European
universities in the coordination of curricula, the exchange of
students, and the opening of educational opportunities on the two
continents; and
(B) Encourage cooperation by consortia of American and European
universities in instilling in their respective student bodies greater
familiarity with the languages and cultures of the other continent;
(3) Address an important problem or need;
(4) Represent an improvement upon, or important departure from,
existing practice;
(5) Involve learner-centered improvements;
(6) Achieve far-reaching impact through improvements that will be
useful in a variety of ways and in a variety of settings; and
(7) Increase the cost-effectiveness of services.
(b) Feasibility. The Secretary reviews each proposed project for
its feasibility by determining the extent to which--
(1) The proposed project represents an appropriate response to the
problem or need addressed;
(2) The applicant is capable of carrying out the proposed project,
as evidenced by, for example--
(i) The applicant's understanding of the problem or need;
(ii) The quality of the project design, including objectives,
approaches, and evaluation plan;
(iii) The adequacy of resources, including money personnel,
facilities, equipment, and supplies;
(iv) The qualifications of key personnel who would conduct the
project; and
(v) The applicant's relevant prior experience;
(3) The applicant and any other participating organizations are
committed to the success of the proposed project, as evidenced by, for
example--
(i) Contribution of resources by the applicant and by participating
organizations;
(ii) Their prior work in the area; and
(iii) The potential for continuation of the proposed project beyond
the period of funding (unless the project would be self-terminating);
and
(4) The proposed project demonstrates potential for dissemination
to or adaptation by other organizations, and shows evidence of interest
by potential users.
(c) Appropriateness of funding projects. The Secretary reviews each
application to determine whether support of the proposed project by the
Secretary is appropriate in terms of availability of other funding
sources for the proposed activities.
Methods for Applying Selection Criteria
In accordance with 34 CFR 630.32 the Secretary announces the
methods that will be used in applying the selection criteria.
The Secretary gives equal weight to the selection criteria on
significance, feasibility, and appropriateness. Within each of these
criteria, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the subcriteria
listed under the selection criteria section of this notice. In applying
the criteria, the Secretary first analyzes an application in terms of
each individual criterion and subcriterion. The Secretary then bases
the final judgement of an application on an overall assessment of the
degree to which the applicant addresses all selection criteria.
FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Fund for the Improvement of
Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 600
Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 3100, ROB-3, Washington, D.C. 20202-
5175; telephone: (202) 708-5750 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. Individuals may request
applications by submitting the name of the competition, their name, and
postal mailing address to the e-mail address ([email protected]).
Individuals may obtain the application text from Internet address
(http://www.ed.gov/prog-info/FIPSE/). Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board),
telephone (202) 260-9950; on the Internet Gopher Server (at gopher://
gcs.ed.gov); or on the World Wide Web (at http://gcs.ed.gov). However,
the official application notice
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for a discretionary grant competition is the notice published in the
Federal Register.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135a-3.
Dated: January 23, 1997.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 97-2195 Filed 1-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P