[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3620-3621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1560]



[[Page 3619]]

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Part II





Department of Education





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Strengthening Institutions Programs; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year 1998; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.031]


Strengthening Institutions Programs; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1998

    Purpose of Program: Provide grants to eligible institutions of 
higher education to improve their academic quality, institutional 
management, and fiscal stability in order to increase their self-
sufficiency.
    This grant program should be seen as an opportunity for applicants 
to support those elements of the National Education Goals that are 
relevant to their unique missions.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 17, 1998.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 9, 1998.
    Applications Available: Applications will be mailed by January 26, 
1998 to the office of the president of all institutions that will 
receive an application to be designated as an eligible institution 
under the Strengthening Institutions Program.
    Available Funds: $17,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $327,000 to $350,000 per year for five-
year development grants; $30,000 to $35,000 for one-year planning 
grants.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $338,500 per year for five-year 
development grants; $32,500 for one year planning grants.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 48 development grants; 14 planning 
grants.
    Project Period: 60 months for development grants; 12 months for 
planning grants.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Special Funding Considerations: In tie-breaking situations 
described in 34 CFR 607.23 of the Strengthening Institutions program 
regulations, the Secretary awards one additional point under 
Sec. 607.23 to an application from an institution that has an endowment 
fund for which the current market value, per full-time equivalent (FTE) 
student, is less than the average, per FTE student, at similar type 
institutions; and one additional point to an application from an 
institution that has expenditures for library materials, per FTE 
student, that are less than the average, per FTE student, at similar 
type institutions.
    For the purposes of these funding considerations, an applicant must 
be able to demonstrate that the current market value of its endowment 
fund, per FTE student, or expenditures for library materials, per FTE 
student, is less than the following national average for base year 
1995-96:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Average       Average  
                                                  market       library  
                                                 value of   expenditures
                                                endowment        for    
                                                fund, per    materials, 
                                                   FTE         per FTE  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two-year Public Institutions.................       $1,332           $45
Two-year Nonprofit, Private Institutions.....       11,567           121
Four-year Public Institutions................        2,829           165
Four-year Nonprofit Private Institutions.....       42,579           254
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If a tie still remains after applying the above, the Secretary 
determines that institutions will receive an award according to a 
combined ranking of two year-and four-year institutions. The ranking is 
established by awarding points for combined FTE averages of library 
expenditures and endowment values by similar type institutions. 
Institutions whose combined FTE averages of library expenditures and 
endowment values are the lowest are ranked higher in strict numerical 
order.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Department of Education General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
85, and 86; and (b) the regulations for this program in 34 CFR Part 
607.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Please note that 34 CFR 607.9(b)(2), (3) and 
(4) have been superseded by Sec. 313(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965, as amended (HEA). Accordingly, please disregard those sections, 
which are found in appendix VI of the application.
    In making awards for fiscal year 1998, the Secretary will give 
priority for grants to the highest ranked applicants who are not or 
were not recipients of an individual Strengthening Institutions Program 
development grant on or after October 1, 1997. While institutions that 
are or were recipients of individual Strengthening Institutions Program 
development grants on or after October 1, 1997 may submit applications 
if they wish, those applications will be reviewed only if funds are 
available after all priority applications are funded. The Secretary 
does not anticipate having any funds available after all priority 
applications are funded.
    In Sec. 312 of the FY 1998 appropriation bill, Congress authorized 
the use of up to 20% of grant funds awarded to an institution under the 
Part A-Strengthening Program for endowment building. Any institution 
seeking to use Part A funds for endowment building purposes shall 
indicate that intention in its application and shall abide by the 
departmental regulations in 34 CFR Part 628 governing the Endowment 
Challenge Grant program. Only institutions requesting and competing 
successfully for new individual development grants in Fiscal Year 1998 
may use up to 20% of the funds for endowment building; non-competing 
continuation grantees are not eligible for endowment building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blanca Westgate, U.S. Department of 
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Portals Building, Suite CY-80, 
Washington, D.C. 20202-5335. Telephone: (202) 708-8839. 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.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format 
the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or 
portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the 
following sites:

http://gcs.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

    To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
    Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an 
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone (202)219-1511 
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option 
G-Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

    Note: The official version of a document is the document 
published in the Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057.


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    Dated: January 16, 1998.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 98-1560 Filed 1-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P