[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 88 (Friday, May 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24928-24929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-11490]



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Part VI





Department of Education





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Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 1999 / Notices  

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Department of Education

[CFDA No.: 84.031S]


Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1999

Purpose of Program

    Provide grants and related assistance to eligible Hispanic-Serving 
institutions of higher education to enable them to improve their 
academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability and 
thereby increase their self-sufficiency and expand their capacity to 
serve Hispanic students and other low-income individuals.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 25, 1999.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 25, 1999.
    Applications Available: May 10, 1999.
    Available Funds: Approximately $16,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $375,000 to $425,000 per year for 
development grants.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $392,000 per year for development 
grants.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 40 development grants.
    Project Period: 60 months for development grants.

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

    Statutory Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and Section 511(d) 
of the Higher Education Act, as amended (HEA), the Secretary gives an 
absolute preference to applications that contain satisfactory evidence 
that the Hispanic-Serving institution has entered into or will enter 
into a collaborative arrangement with at least one local educational 
agency or community-based organization to provide that agency or 
organization with assistance (from funds other than funds provided 
under Title V of the HEA) in reducing dropout rates for Hispanic 
students, improving rates of academic achievement for Hispanic 
students, and increasing the rates at which Hispanic secondary school 
graduates enroll in higher education. The Secretary will fund under 
this competition only applications that meet this priority.
    As described under Section 514(b), the Secretary also gives an 
absolute preference to grants for cooperative arrangements that are 
geographically and economically sound or will benefit the applicant 
Hispanic-Serving institution. Only applications that meet this priority 
will be funded.
    Special Funding Consideration: In tie-breaking situations described 
in 34 CFR 607.23 of the Strengthening Institutions Program regulations, 
the Secretary awards one additional point to an application from an 
institution that has an endowment fund for which the market value in 
1996-1997, per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, was less than the 
average per FTE student at similar type institutions; and one 
additional point to an application from an institution that had 
expenditures for library materials in 1996-1997, per FTE student, that 
were less than the average per FTE student, at similar type 
institutions.
    For the purpose of these funding considerations, an applicant must 
be able to demonstrate that the market value of its endowment fund per 
FTE student, or expenditures for library materials per FTE student, 
were less than the following approximated national averages for base 
year 1996-1997:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 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 additional points, the 
Secretary determines that an institution will receive an award 
according to a combined ranking of two-year and four-year institutions. 
This ranking is established by combining library expenditures and 
endowment values per FTE student. The institutions with the lowest 
combined library expenditures per FTE student and endowment values per 
FTE student 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 the Strengthening Institutions 
Program in 34 CFR Part 607, except those regulatory sections that have 
been superseded by the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 (Public Law 
105-244).
    Supplementary Information: The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 
amended the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) regarding the Hispanic-
Serving Institutions Program in several respects. First, it moved the 
program Title V of the HEA. It made specific changes to the eligibility 
requirements for new grants and authorized uses of grant funds. Key 
statutory provisions that directly impact the program are:
    a. As amended, section 504(a)(2) of the HEA provides that an 
institution that receives a five-year individual grant under Title V, 
is not eligible to receive an additional development grant until two 
years after the date on which the five-year grant terminates.
    b. As amended, section 503(b) of the HEA authorizes the use of 
grant funds for the following activities: (1) Purchase, rental, or 
lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, 
including instructional and research purposes. (2) Construction, 
maintenance, renovation, and improvement in classrooms, libraries, 
laboratories, and other instructional facilities, including the 
integration of computer technology into institutional facilities to 
create smart buildings.
    (3) Support of faculty exchanges, faculty development and faculty 
fellowships to assist in attaining advanced degrees in the field of 
instruction of the faculty.
    (4) Purchase of library books, periodicals, and other educational 
materials, including telecommunications program material.
    (5) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to 
improve academic success.
    (6) Funds management, administrative management, and acquisition of 
equipment for use in strengthening funds management.
    (7) Joint use of facilities, such as laboratories and libraries.
    (8) Establishing or improving a development office to strengthen or 
improve contributions from alumni and the private sector.
    (9) Establishing or improving an endowment fund.
    (10) Creating or improving facilities for Internet or other 
distance learning academic instruction capabilities, including purchase 
or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services.
    (11) Establishing or enhancing a teacher education program designed 
to qualify students to teach in public, elementary and secondary 
schools.
    (12) Establishing community outreach programs that will encourage 
elementary and secondary school students to develop the academic skills 
and the interest to pursue postsecondary education.
    (13) Expanding the number of Hispanic and other underrepresented 
graduate and professional students that

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can be served by an institution by expanding courses and institutional 
resources.
    (14) Other activities proposed in the application that contribute 
to carrying out the purposes of the program and are approved by the 
Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of the application.
    As amended, section 503(c) (1) and (2) of the HEA provides that 
grantees under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program may 
use up to 20 percent of grant funds to establish or increase an 
endowment fund. However, the grantee institution must provide matching 
funds from non-Federal sources in an amount equal to or greater than 
the grant funds used for the endowment fund.
    For Further Information Contact or Applications: Carl Person, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, the Portals Building 
Suite CY-80, Washington, D.C. 20202-5335. Telephone (202) 708-8839 or 
(202) 708-8816. The e-mail address for Mr. Person is 
Carl__P[email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service 
(FIRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
    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

    You may review this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet 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 (GPO) at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free at 1-888-293-6498.

    Note: The official version of a document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available at GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

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

    Dated: May 3, 1999.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 99-11490 Filed 5-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U