[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 187 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60646-60648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24436]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.015A and B]


Office of Postsecondary Education; National Resource Centers 
(NRC) Program for Foreign Language and Area Studies or Foreign Language 
and International Studies and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) 
Fellowships Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2003

    Purpose of Programs: The NRC Program makes awards to institutions 
of higher education for establishing or strengthening nationally 
recognized foreign language and area or international studies centers 
or programs. NRC awards are used to support undergraduate centers or 
comprehensive centers, which include undergraduate, graduate, and 
professional school components.
    The FLAS Program awards allocations of fellowships to institutions 
of higher education to assist meritorious students undergoing graduate 
training in modern foreign languages and related areas or international 
studies. FLAS allocations may be used for academic year and summer 
fellowships.
    For fiscal year (FY) 2003 the competition focuses on projects 
designed to meet the priorities we describe in the Priorities section 
of this notice.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education and consortia 
of institutions of higher education.
    Applications Available: September 25, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 12, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 11, 2003.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$28,715,000 for the NRC Program and $26,435,000 for the FLAS Program 
for FY 2003. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final 
congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow 
enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates 
funds for these programs.

[[Page 60647]]

    Estimated Range of Awards: $202,000--$318,000 per year for the NRC 
Program and $31,000--$372,000 per year for the FLAS Program.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $231,573 per year for the NRC 
Program and $204,922 per year for the FLAS Program.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 124 NRC awards and 129 FLAS awards. We 
anticipate the 129 FLAS awards to yield 923 academic year fellowships 
and 560 summer fellowships.


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


    Project Period: 36 months, beginning August 15, 2003.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

FLAS Program Subsistence Allowance

    The subsistence allowance for a fellowship for academic year 2003-
2004 will be $14,000 and the allowance for a summer 2004 fellowship 
will be $2,400.

FLAS Program Institutional Payment

    The institutional payment in lieu of tuition for a fellowship for 
academic year 2003-2004 will be $11,000 and the payment for a summer 
2004 fellowship will be $3,600.

FLAS Program Travel Award

    A travel award for $1,000 or the actual cost of travel, whichever 
is less, may be requested in conjunction with summer fellowships that 
are to be used at language program sites other than the student's home 
institution.
    An applicant's FLAS Program budget should reflect $25,000 for each 
academic year fellowship requested, $6,000 for each summer fellowship 
requested, and $1,000 for each summer travel award requested.


    Note: FLAS Program awards do not include allowances for 
dependents.

Page Limit

    The application narrative (Section C of the application) is where 
you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use 
to evaluate your application. You must limit the narrative to the 
equivalent of no more than 35 pages for a single institution 
application or the equivalent of no more than 45 pages for a consortium 
application, using the following standards:
    [sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    [sbull] Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. However, you may 
single space all text in charts, tables, figures and graphs.
    [sbull] Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However you may use a 10-point 
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications; or the one-page abstract or the appendices. 
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Section 
C.
    We will reject your application if--
    [sbull] You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
    [sbull] You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for the NRC Program in 34 
CFR part 656. (c) The regulations for the FLAS Program in 34 CFR part 
657. (d) The regulations in 34 CFR part 655.

Priorities

Absolute Priority

    This competition focuses on projects designed to meet a priority in 
the regulations for the NRC Program (34 CFR 656.23(a)(4)).
    Teacher training activities: An NRC project funded under this 
priority must focus on teacher training activities on the language, 
languages, area studies, or general topic of the center.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet 
the priority.

Invitational Priorities

    Within the absolute priority listed in this application notice, we 
are particularly interested in applications that meet one or more of 
the following invitational priorities.
NRC Program Invitational Priority 1
    Activities designed to increase the number of international 
experts, including those entering government service and various 
professional disciplines, with in-depth knowledge of Islamic societies 
and high-level language proficiency in the languages of those 
societies.
NRC Program Invitational Priority 2
    Activities designed to strengthen the quality of the center's 
language program so that students can attain advanced language 
proficiency in the less and least commonly taught languages.
NRC Program Invitational Priority 3
    Linkages with schools of education designed to improve teacher 
training in foreign languages, area, or international studies with an 
emphasis on the less commonly taught languages and areas of the world 
where those languages are spoken.
NRC Program Invitational Priority 4
    Activities that engage the language resources of local heritage 
communities where appropriate.
NRC Program Invitational Priority 5
    Collaboration with Title VI language resource centers, the centers 
for international business education, and the American overseas 
research centers with a focus on the less and least commonly taught 
languages and underrepresented professional disciplines.
FLAS Program Invitational Priority 1
    Fellowships to students in the least commonly taught languages who 
are pursuing advanced level language proficiency.
FLAS Program Invitational Priority 2
    Fellowships to talented students pursuing master's degrees who may 
be more likely to pursue government service.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets 
one or more of the invitational priorities a competitive or absolute 
preference over other applications.

For Applications AND FURTHER Information Contact: Cheryl E. Gibbs, Ed 
McDermott, Karla Ver Bryck Block, or Amy Wilson, International 
Education and Graduate Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 
1990 K Street, NW., Suite 6000, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: 
(202) 502-7700 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to a program contact person listed under FOR 
APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternative format by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative 
format the standard forms included in the application package.

[[Page 60648]]

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    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
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    Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 1122.

    Dated: September 23, 2002.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-24436 Filed 9-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P