[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 176 (Thursday, September 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53601-53603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23182]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.016A]


Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education; 
Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Purpose of Program: The Undergraduate International Studies and 
Foreign Language (UISFL) Program provides grants to strengthen and 
improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign 
languages.
    Eligible Applicants: (1) Institutions of higher education, (2) 
combinations of institutions of higher education, (3) partnerships 
between nonprofit educational organizations and institutions of higher 
education, and (4) public and private nonprofit agencies and 
organizations, including professional and scholarly associations.
    Applications Available: September 11, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 5, 2003.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 5, 2004.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$2,039,000 for UISFL Program new awards for FY 2004. 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 this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $40,000-$130,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $72,821.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 28.

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months for grants to single institutions 
of higher education, and up to 36 months for grants to combinations of 
institutions of higher education, to partnerships, and to public and 
private nonprofit agencies and organizations.
    Page Limit: The application narrative 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 40 pages, 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-to-two page abstract or the appendices. 
However, you must include all of the application narrative in 
responding to the selection criteria.
    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; and (b) the regulations for this program in 34 
CFR parts 655 and 658.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Matching requirement: Under title VI, part 
A, section 604(a)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1124(a)(3), UISFL Program grantees must provide 
matching funds in either of the following ways: (a) cash contributions 
from the private sector equal to one-third of the total project costs; 
or (b) a combination of institutional and non-institutional cash or in-
kind contributions equal to one-half of the total project costs. The 
Secretary may waive or reduce the required matching share for 
institutions that are eligible to receive assistance under part A or 
part B of title III of HEA, or under title V of HEA.

Priorities

Competitive Priority

    This competition focuses on projects designed to meet the priority 
in section 604(a)(5) of HEA (20 U.S.C. 1124(a)(5)) (see 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(iv)).
    Applications from institutions of higher education; or combinations 
of institutions of higher education; or partnerships between nonprofit 
educational organizations and institutions of higher education, that: 
(a) Require entering students to have successfully completed at least 
two years of secondary school foreign language instruction; (b) require 
each graduating student to earn two years of postsecondary credit in a 
foreign language or have demonstrated equivalent competence in the 
foreign language; or (c) in the case of a two-year degree granting 
institution, offer two years of postsecondary credit in a foreign 
language.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award an additional five points to 
an application that meets the priority.

Invitational Priorities

    We are particularly interested in applications that meet the 
following invitational priorities.
Invitational Priority 1
    Applications from (1) institutions of higher education, (2) 
combinations of institutions of higher education, (3) partnerships 
between nonprofit educational organizations and institutions of higher 
education, and (4) public and private nonprofit agencies and 
organizations, including professional and scholarly associations, that 
propose projects that provide in-service training for k-12 teachers in 
foreign languages and international studies and strengthen instruction 
in international studies and foreign languages in teacher education 
programs.

[[Page 53602]]

Invitational Priority 2
    Applications from (1) institutions of higher education, (2) 
combinations of institutions of higher education, (3) partnerships 
between nonprofit educational organizations and institutions of higher 
education, and (4) public and private nonprofit agencies and 
organizations, including professional and scholarly associations of 
higher education, that propose educational projects that include 
activities focused on the targeted world areas of Central and South 
Asia, the Middle East, Russia, the Independent States of the former 
Soviet Union, and Africa and that are integrated into the curricula of 
the home institutions or organizations.
    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.

Application Procedures

    The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 
105-277) and the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement 
Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-107) encourage us to undertake initiatives to 
improve our grant processes. Enhancing the ability of individuals and 
entities to conduct business with us electronically is a major part of 
our response to these Acts. Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the 
Internet as our chief means of conducting transactions in order to 
improve services to our customers and to simplify and expedite our 
business processes.

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting 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.

    We are requiring that applications for grants for FY 2004 under the 
UISFL Program be submitted electronically using e-Application available 
through the Department's e-GRANTS system. The e-GRANTS system is 
accessible through its portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    An applicant who is unable to submit an application through the e-
GRANTS system may submit a written request for a waiver of the 
electronic submission requirement. In the request, the applicant should 
explain the reason or reasons that prevent the applicant from using the 
Internet to submit the application. The request should be addressed to: 
Ms. Christine Corey, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 
Suite 6069, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Please submit your request no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, an applicant 
is unable to submit an application electronically, the applicant must 
submit a paper application by the application deadline date in 
accordance with the transmittal instructions in the application 
package. The paper application must include a written request for a 
waiver documenting the reasons that prevented the applicant from using 
the Internet to submit the application.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In FY 2004, the Department is continuing to expand its pilot 
project for electronic submission of applications to include additional 
formula grant programs and additional discretionary grant competitions. 
The UISFL Program--CFDA 84.016 is one of the programs included in the 
pilot project. If you are an applicant under the UISFL Program, you 
must submit your application to us in electronic format or receive a 
waiver.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application). Users of e-Application will be 
entering data on-line while completing their applications. You may not 
e-mail a soft copy of a grant application to us. The data you enter on-
line will be saved into a database. We shall continue to evaluate the 
success of e-Application and solicit suggestions for its improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you do not wait until application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
    [sbull] You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format.
    [sbull] You must submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
    [sbull] Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirement described in this notice.
    [sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
    [sbull] Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following 
these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
    4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 
260-1349.
    [sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    [sbull] Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from submitting your application 
on the application deadline date because the e-Application system is 
unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day in 
order to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by hand 
delivery. For us to grant this extension--
    1. You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes 
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date; or (b) The e-Application system 
must be unavailable for any period of time during the last hour of 
operation (that is, for any period of time between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., 
Washington, DC time) on the application deadline date.
    The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of 
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this 
extension or to confirm the Department's acknowledgement of any system 
unavailability you may contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere 
in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the UISFL 
Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

For further Information Contact: Christine Corey, U.S. Department of

[[Page 53603]]

Education, International Education and Graduate Programs Service, 1990 
K Street, NW, Suite 6069, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7629 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 the program contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER iNFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities 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.

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 the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. 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.
    You may also view this document in PDF at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/offices/HEP/iegps/.

    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. 1124.

    Dated: September 8, 2003.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 03-23182 Filed 9-10-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P