[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 56 (Thursday, March 22, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16043-16044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7126]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.116N]


Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education--Special 
Focus Competition (Institutional Cooperation and Student Mobility in 
Postsecondary Education Among the United States, Canada and Mexico); 
Notice Inviting Application for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

    Purpose of Program: To provide grants or 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 institutions and other public and private nonprofit 
institutions and agencies.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 14, 2001.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 13, 2001.
    Applications Available: March 22, 2001.
    Available Funds: $300,000 for FY 2001.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $25,000-30,000 for FY 2001. $200,000-
$215,000 for four year duration of grant.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $25,000 for FY 2001. $200,000 for 
four year duration of grant.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.


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


    Project Period: Up to 48 months.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit your narrative to the equivalent of no more 
than ten (10) single-spaced pages.
     A ``page'' is 8.5" x 11" on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Single space (no more than six lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to the title page, the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification, the assurances 
and certifications, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of 
support.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application narrative 
that exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or exceed the 
equivalent of the page limit if you apply other standards.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This program is a Special Focus Competition 
to support projects addressing a particular problem area or improvement 
approach in postsecondary education. The competition also includes an 
invitational priority to encourage proposals designed to support the 
formation of educational consortia of American, Canadian and Mexican 
institutions to encourage cooperation in the coordination of curricula, 
the exchange of students and the opening of educational opportunities 
throughout North America. The invitational priority is issued in 
cooperation with Canada and Mexico. Canadian and Mexican institutions 
participating in any consortium proposal responding to the invitational 
priority may apply, respectively, to Human Resources Development Canada 
and the Mexican Department of Public Education for additional funding 
under separate Canadian and Mexican competitions.

[[Page 16044]]

Priority

Invitational Priority

    The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet 
the following invitational priority. 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 among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Methods for Applying Selection Criteria

    The Secretary gives equal weight to the listed criteria. Within 
each of the criteria, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the 
factors.

Selection Criteria

    In evaluating applications for grants under this program 
competition, the Secretary uses selection criteria chosen from those 
listed in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR.
    For Applications or Information Contact: Fund for the Improvement 
of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 1990 
K Street, NW., 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20006-8544. You may also 
request application forms by calling 732-544-2504 (fax on demand), or 
application guidelines by calling 202-358-3041 (voice mail) or 
submitting the name of the competition and your name and postal address 
to [email protected] (e-mail).
    Applications are also listed on the FIPSE Web Site: http://www.ed.gov/FIPSE; e-APPLICATIONS are available at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-
8339. For additional program information call the FIPSE office (202-
502-7500) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Eastern time, Monday 
through Friday.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact number listed under For 
Applications or Information Contact.
    Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternative format by contacting that number. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative 
format the standard forms included in the application package.

Application Procedures

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting electronic applications differ from those in the 
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 
CFR 75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) 
the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity 
to comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    The U.S. Department of Education is expanding its pilot project of 
electronic submission of applications to include certain formula grant 
programs, as well as additional discretionary grant competitions. The 
Program for North American Mobility in Higher Education CFDA No. 
84.116N is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you 
are an applicant under the Program for North American Mobility in 
Higher Education, you may submit your application to us in either 
electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the 
Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your 
participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its 
success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
    If you participate in this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the 
following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     You will not receive any additional point value or penalty 
because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper format.
     You can submit all documents electronically, including the 
Title Page, (substitutes for the ED Form 424), Budget Summary Form 
(substitutes for the ED Form 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     Fax a signed copy of the Title Page after following these 
steps:
    1. Print the Title Page from the e-APPLICATION system.
    2. Make sure that the institution's Authorizing Representative 
signs this form.
    3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via 
the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic 
acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying 
number unique to your application).
    4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
Title Page.
    5. Fax the Title Page to the Application Control Center within 
three working days of submitting your electronic application. We will 
indicate a fax number in e-APPLICATION at the time of your submission.
     We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Program for 
North American Mobility in Higher Education at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-APPLICATION 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Applications) in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view 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://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader Program which is 
available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions 
about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) toll 
free at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington DC, area at (202) 512-
1530.

    Note: The official version of this 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 on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1138-1138d.

    Dated: March 19, 2001.
Maureen A. McLaughlin,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Innovation, Office 
of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 01-7126 Filed 3-21-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4001-01-U