[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7696-7699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-1721]



[[Page 7695]]

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Part II





Department of Agriculture





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Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service



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Higher Education Challenge Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2001; Request 
for Proposals and Request for Stakeholder Input; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 16 / Wednesday, January 24, 2001 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service


Higher Education Challenge Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2001; 
Request for Proposals and Request for Stakeholder Input

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, 
USDA.

ACTION: Notice of request for Proposals (RFP) and Request for 
Stakeholder Input.

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SUMMARY: The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
Service (CSREES) is announcing the Higher Education Challenge Grants 
Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001. Proposals are hereby requested from 
eligible institutions as identified herein for competitive 
consideration of Higher Education Challenge Grant awards.
    By this notice, CSREES also requests stakeholder input from any 
interested party. These comments will be considered in the development 
of the next RFP for this program. Such comments will be used in meeting 
the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998.

DATES: Proposals must be received on or before March 5, 2001. Proposals 
received after the closing date will not be considered for funding.
    User comments are requested within six months from the issuance of 
this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to 
the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail should be sent to 
the following address: Higher Education Challenge Grants Program; c/o 
Proposal Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative 
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of 
Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250-2245.
    Hand-delivered proposals (brought in person by the applicant or 
through a courier service) must be delivered to the following address: 
Higher Education Challenge Grants Program; c/o Proposal Services Unit; 
Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State Research, Education, 
and Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room 1307, 
Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20024. The 
telephone number is (202) 401-5048. Proposals transmitted via a 
facsimile (fax) machine will not be accepted.
    Written user comments should be submitted by mail to: Policy and 
Program Liaison Staff; Office of Extramural Programs; USDA-CSREES; STOP 
2299; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-2299; or via 
e-mail to: [email protected]. (This e-mail address is intended only 
for receiving stakeholder comments regarding this RFP, and not for 
requesting information or forms.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: P. Gregory Smith, Higher Education 
Programs; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; 
U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2251; 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2251; telephone: (202) 720-2211; e-mail: 
[email protected].

Stakeholder Input

    CSREES is requesting comments regarding this solicitation of 
applications from any interested party. In your comments, please 
include the name of the program and the fiscal year to which you are 
responding. These comments will be considered in the development of the 
next RFP for the program. Such comments will be used in meeting the 
requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, 7 U.S.C. 7613(c). Comments 
should be submitted as provided in the ``Addresses'' and ``Dates'' 
portions of this Notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

A. Administrative Provisions
B. Legislative Authority
C. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
D. Purpose of the Program
E. Eligibility
F. Available Funds
G. Targeted Need Areas Supported
H. Degree Levels Supported
I. Proposal Submission Limitations
J. Project Duration
K. Matching Requirement
L. Maximum Grant Amount
M. Limitation on Indirect Costs
N. Funding Limitations Per Institution
O. Maximum Number of Grants Per Institution
P. Other Limitations
Q. Evaluation Criteria
R. How to Obtain Application Materials
S. What to Submit
T. Where and When to Submit
U. Acknowledgment of Proposals
V. Intent to Submit a Proposal

A. Administrative Provisions

    This Program is subject to the provisions found at 7 CFR Part 3405. 
These provisions set forth procedures to be followed when submitting 
grant proposals, rules governing the evaluation of proposals and the 
awarding of grants, and regulations relating to the post-award 
administration of grant projects.

B. Legislative Authority

    The authority for this program is contained in section 1417(b)(1) 
of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
Act of 1977, as amended (NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(1)). In accordance 
with the statutory authority, subject to the availability of funds, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, who has delegated the authority to the 
Administrator of CSREES, may make competitive grants, for a period not 
to exceed 5 years, to land-grant colleges and universities, to colleges 
and universities having significant minority enrollments and a 
demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and 
agricultural sciences, and to other colleges and universities having a 
demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and 
agricultural sciences, to administer and conduct programs to respond to 
identified State, regional, national or international educational needs 
in the food and agricultural sciences. For this program, the term 
``food and agricultural sciences'' means basic, applied, and 
developmental teaching activities in food and fiber, agricultural, 
renewable natural resources, forestry, and physical and social 
sciences, and including related disciplines as defined in section 
1404(8) of NARETPA, 7 U.S.C. 3103(8).

C. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

    This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance under No. 10.217, Higher Education Challenge Grants 
Program.

D. Purpose of the Program

    Grants will be made to U.S. colleges and universities to strengthen 
their teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences in the 
targeted need areas as described herein. The Higher Education Challenge 
Grants Program is designed to stimulate and enable colleges and 
universities to provide the quality of education necessary to produce 
baccalaureate or higher degree level graduates capable of strengthening 
the Nation's food and agricultural scientific and professional work 
force. It is intended that projects supported by the program will: (1) 
Address a State, regional, national, or international educational need; 
(2) involve a creative or nontraditional approach toward addressing 
that need

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which can serve as a model to others; (3) encourage and facilitate 
better working relationships in the university science and education 
community, as well as between universities and the private sector, to 
enhance program quality and supplement available resources; and (4) 
result in benefits which will likely transcend the project duration and 
USDA support.

E. Eligibility

    Proposals may be submitted by land-grant and other U.S. colleges 
and universities offering a baccalaureate degree or any other higher 
degree and having a demonstrable capacity for, and a significant 
ongoing commitment to, the teaching of food and agricultural sciences 
generally and to the specific need and/or subject area(s) for which a 
grant is requested. In addition, a grantee institution must meet the 
definition of a college or university as defined in 7 CFR 3405.2(f). An 
institution eligible to receive an award under this program includes a 
research foundation maintained by an eligible college or university. 
For the purposes of this program, the individual branches of a State 
university system or public system of higher education, that are 
separately accredited at the college level as degree granting 
institutions, are treated as separate institutions.

F. Available Funds

    CSREES anticipates that the amount available for project grants 
under this program in FY 2001 will be approximately $4,070,000. Awards 
will be based on merit evaluation of proposals by peer review panels 
and internal staff review.

G. Targeted Need Areas Supported

    For FY 2001, proposals must address one or more of the following 
targeted need areas: (1) Curricula Design and Materials Development; 
(2) Faculty Preparation and Enhancement for Teaching; (3) Instruction 
Delivery Systems; and (4) Student Experiential Learning. A description 
of these targeted need areas can be found in the Scope of Program 
section at 7 CFR 3405.6. A proposal may address a single targeted need 
area or multiple targeted need areas, and may be focused on a single 
subject matter area or multiple subject matter areas, in any 
combination (e.g., curriculum development in horticulture; curriculum 
development, faculty enhancement, and student experiential learning in 
animal science; faculty enhancement in food science and agribusiness 
management; or instruction delivery systems and student experiential 
learning in plant science, horticulture, and entomology).

H. Degree Levels Supported

    For FY 2001, proposals must be directed to undergraduate studies 
leading to a baccalaureate degree. For purposes of this program, 
proposals directed to the first professional degree in veterinary 
medicine also are allowable. Projects directed to the graduate level of 
study will not be supported.

I. Proposal Submission Limitations

    There is no limit on the number of proposals any one institution 
may submit. In addition, there is no limit on the number of proposals 
which may be submitted on behalf of the same school, college, or 
equivalent administrative unit within an institution.

J. Project Duration

    A regular, complementary, or joint project proposal may request 
funding for a project period of 18-36 months duration.

K. Matching Requirement

    Each grant recipient under the Higher Education Challenge Grants 
Program is required to match the grant funds awarded on a dollar-for-
dollar basis from a non-Federal source(s). The cash contributions 
towards matching from the institution should be identified in the 
column ``Applicant Contributions to Matching Funds'' of the Higher 
Education Budget, Form CSREES-713. The cash contributions of the 
institution and third parties as well as non-cash contributions should 
be identified on Line N., as appropriate, of Form CSREES-713 and 
described in the budget justification. Any cost-sharing commitments 
specified in the proposal will be referenced and included as a 
condition of an award resulting from this announcement.

L. Maximum Grant Amount

    For a regular or complementary project proposal, the maximum funds 
that may be requested from CSREES under this program to cover allowable 
costs during the project period are $100,000. (The total Federal 
contribution to the budget for a regular or complementary project 
proposal may not exceed $100,000.) For a joint project proposal, the 
maximum funds that may be requested from CSREES under this program to 
cover allowable costs during the project period are $250,000. (The 
total Federal contribution to the budget for a joint project proposal 
may not exceed $250,000.) Please refer to the Administrative Provisions 
for this program at 7 CFR 3405.2 for the definitions of regular, 
complementary, and joint project proposals. Note: These maximums are 
for the total duration of the project, not per year.

M. Limitation on Indirect Costs

    Pursuant to section 1462 of NARETPA, 7 U.S.C. 3310, indirect costs 
charged against a grant may not exceed 19 percent of the total Federal 
funds provided under the grant award. An alternative method of 
calculation of this limitation is to multiply total direct costs by 
23.456 percent. Note that the indirect cost limit of 19 percent also 
applies to matching funds.

N. Funding Limitations Per Institution

    In FY 2001, there are no limits on the total funds that may be 
awarded to any one institution.

O. Maximum Number of Grants Per Institution

    For FY 2001, a maximum of two grants may be awarded to any one 
institution under the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program. This 
ceiling excludes any subcontracts awarded to an institution pursuant to 
other grants issued under this program.

P. Other Limitations

    For FY 2001, the applicant institution submitting a joint Challenge 
Grant proposal must transfer at least one-half of the awarded funds to 
the two or more other colleges, universities, community colleges, or 
other institutions assuming a major role in the conduct of the project. 
For FY 2001, the applicant institution submitting a joint Challenge 
Grant proposal must retain at least 30 percent of awarded funds to 
demonstrate a substantial involvement with the project.

Q. Evaluation Criteria

    NARETPA requires that certain priorities be given in awarding 
grants for teaching enhancement projects under section 1417(b). This 
program is authorized under section 1417(b). CSREES considers all 
applications received in response to this solicitation as teaching 
enhancement project applications. To implement the NARETPA priorities 
for proposals submitted for the FY 2001 competition, the evaluation 
criteria used to evaluate proposals, as provided in the Administrative 
Provisions for this program (7 CFR 3405.15), have been modified to 
include new criteria or extra points for proposals demonstrating 
enhanced coordination among eligible institutions and for proposals 
focusing on innovative, multidisciplinary

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education programs, material, or curricula.

Evaluation Criterion Weight

(a) Potential for Addressing a State, Regional, National or 
International Need: 65 Points
    This criterion assesses the potential of the project to add value 
by advancing the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher 
education and producing graduates capable of strengthening the Nation's 
food and agricultural scientific and professional work force. This 
criterion includes the following elements: impact, innovation, 
multidisciplinary, expected products and results, and continuation 
plans.
    (1) Impact--Does the project address a significant and clearly 
documented State, regional, multistate, national, or international 
need? Will the benefits to be derived from the project transcend the 
applicant institution and/or the grant period?
    (2) Innovative and Multidisciplinary Focus--Does the project focus 
on innovative, multidisciplinary education programs, material, or 
curricula? Is the project based on a non-traditional approach toward 
solving a higher education problem? Is the project relevant to multiple 
fields in the food and agricultural sciences? Will the project expand 
partnership ventures among disciplines at a university?
    (3) Products and results--Are the expected products and/or results 
of the project clearly explained? Will the project contribute to an 
improvement in the quality or diversity of the Nation's food and 
agricultural scientific and professional expertise base?
    (4) Continuation plans--Are there plans for continuation or 
expansion of the project beyond USDA support? Are there indications of 
external, non-Federal support? Are there realistic plans for making the 
project self-supporting?
(b) Potential of Submitting Institution(s) To Successfully Complete 
Project Objectives: 70 Points
    This criterion assesses the soundness of the proposed approach, the 
adequacy of human and physical resources available to carry out the 
project, the institution's commitment to the project, partnerships and 
collaborative efforts involving all types of institutions, its cost-
effectiveness, and the extent to which the total budget adequately 
supports the project.
    (1) Proposed approach--Are the objectives achievable, logical, and 
based on review of literature? Is the plan of operation managerially, 
educationally, and/or scientifically sound? Is the overall plan 
integrated with or does it expand upon other major efforts to improve 
the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education? Is the 
timetable realistic?
    (2) Resources--Are there adequate institutional resources to carry 
out the project? Do the project personnel possess requisite expertise 
to complete successfully the project? Have personnel committed adequate 
effort to achieve stated objectives and anticipated outcomes? Will the 
project have adequate administrative support to carry out the proposed 
activities? Will the project have access to needed resources such as 
instrumentation, facilities, computer services, library, and other 
instruction support resources?
    (3) Institutional commitment--Is there evidence to substantiate 
that the institution has a long term commitment to support the 
result(s) and/or product(s) produced by this project, that it will help 
satisfy the institution's high-priority objectives, or that the project 
is supported by the strategic plans?
    (4) Coordination and partnership efforts--Will the project 
demonstrate enhanced coordination between the applicant institution(s) 
and other colleges and universities with food and agricultural science 
programs eligible for grants under this program? Will the project 
expand partnership ventures among eligible colleges and universities, 
or with the private sector, that are likely to enhance program quality 
or supplement resources available to food and agricultural sciences 
higher education? Will the arrangements for partner(s) and/or 
collaborator(s) enhance dissemination of the result(s) and/or 
product(s)?
    (5) Budget and cost-effectiveness--Is the budget request 
justifiable? Are costs reasonable and necessary? Will the total budget 
be adequate to carry out project activities? Are the source(s) and 
amount(s) of non-Federal matching support clearly identified and 
appropriately documented? For a joint project proposal, is the shared 
budget for three or more institutions explained clearly and in 
sufficient detail? Is the proposed project cost-effective? Does it 
demonstrate a creative use of limited resources, maximize educational 
value per dollar of USDA support, achieve economies of scale, leverage 
additional funds or have the potential to do so, focus expertise and 
activity on a targeted need area, or promote coalition building for 
current or future ventures?
(c) Effectiveness of Evaluation Plan and Potential for Dissemination of 
the Result(s) and/or Products to Other Institutions and for Utilization 
by Other Institutions: 65 Points
    This criterion assesses the adequacy of the evaluation strategy, 
the quality of outcome measures, the expertise and availability of 
human resources to conduct the evaluation, the record of the key 
personnel is disseminating advancements in education, e.g., publishing 
educational articles in peer reviewed journals, the adequacy of the 
plan for dissemination, and the potential for utilization by other 
institutions.
    (1) Evaluation--Does the proposal contain a well-designed plan to 
evaluate results of the project? Will this plan provide conclusions 
suitable for convincing a peer review audience of the accomplishment? 
Does it allow for continuous and/or frequent feedback during the life 
of the project? Does the evaluation plan contain outcome measures? Are 
the outcome measures capable of assessing the quality and usefulness of 
project results and products? Are the individuals involved in project 
evaluation skilled in evaluation strategies and procedures? Can the 
outcome measures provide an objective evaluation? Is the outcome 
assessment designed in such a way that it can assist faculty at other 
institutions in deciding whether to use project results or products?
    (2) Dissemination--Is there a commitment to submit the results of 
the project evaluation to peer review by the academic community in the 
food and agricultural sciences? Does the proposed project include 
clearly outlined and realistic mechanisms that will lead to widespread 
dissemination of project results, including national electronic 
communication systems, publications, presentations at professional 
conferences, and/or use by faculty development or research/teaching 
skills workshops?
    (3) Utilization--Is it probable that other institutions will adapt 
the result(s) and/or product(s) of this project for their own use? Can 
the project serve as a model for others? If successful, is the project 
likely to lead to education reform? Is the product(s) and/or result(s) 
likely to provide a significant contribution to the advancement of 
higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? Are partner(s) 
and/or collaborator(s) committed to utilize the product(s) and/or 
result(s)?

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R. How To Obtain Application Materials

    An Application Kit containing program application materials will be 
made available to eligible institutions upon request. These materials 
include the Administrative Provisions, forms, instructions, and other 
relevant information needed to prepare and submit grant applications. 
Copies of the Application Kit may be requested from the Proposal 
Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State 
Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of 
Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250-2245. The telephone number is (202) 401-5048. When contacting the 
Proposal Services Unit, please indicate that you are requesting forms 
for the FY 2001 Challenge Grants Program.
    Application materials may also be requested via Internet by sending 
a message with your name, mailing address (not e-mail) and telephone 
number to [email protected] that states that you wish to receive a copy 
of the application materials for the FY 2001 Challenge Grants Program. 
The materials will then be mailed to you (not e-mailed) as quickly as 
possible.

S. What To Submit

    An original and seven (7) copies of a proposal, and a diskette 
containing a PC-based (not MAC) electronic file of the proposal Summary 
and Narrative (in Word or WordPerfect), must be submitted. Proposals 
should contain all requested information when submitted. Each proposal 
should be typed on 8\1/2\" x 11" white paper, double-spaced, and on one 
side of the page only. Please note that the text of the proposal should 
be prepared using no type smaller than 12 point font size and one-inch 
margins. The entire proposal should be paginated. Note that the 
Narrative section of the proposal is limited to 20 pages. All copies of 
the proposal must be submitted in one package. Each copy of the 
proposal must be stapled securely in the upper left-hand corner (DO NOT 
BIND).

T. Where and When To Submit

    Hand-delivered proposals (brought in person by the applicant or 
through a courier service) must be RECEIVED on or before March 5, 2001, 
at the following address: Challenge Grants Program; c/o Proposal 
Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State 
Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of 
Agriculture; Room 1307, Waterfront Building; 800 9th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20024. Proposals transmitted via a facsimile (fax) 
machine will not be accepted.
    Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail must be RECEIVED on or 
before March 5, 2001. Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail should 
be sent to the following address: Challenge Grants Program; c/o 
Proposal Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative 
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of 
Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250-2245. The telephone number is (202) 401-5048.

U. Acknowledgment of Proposals

    The receipt of all proposals will be acknowledged by e-mail, 
therefore applicants are encouraged to provide e-mail addresses, where 
designated, on the Form CSREES-661. The acknowledgment will contain an 
identifying proposal number. Once your proposal has been assigned a 
proposal number, please cite that number in future correspondence.

V. Intent To Submit a Proposal

    For the FY 2001 competition, Form CSREES-711, ``Intent to Submit a 
Proposal,'' is not requested nor required for the Higher Education 
Challenge Grants Program.

    Done at Washington, DC, this 16th day of January 2001.
Colien Hefferan,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
Service.
[FR Doc. 01-1721 Filed 1-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P