[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 203 (Monday, October 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59516-59520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20762]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; 
Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.016A.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: October 22, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 26, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 25, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    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.
    Priorities: This notice contains two competitive preference 
priorities and two invitational priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(ii), Competitive Preference Priority 1 is from the 
regulations for this program (34 CFR 658.35). Competitive Preference 
Priority 2 is from the notice of final priorities for discretionary 
grant programs, published in the Federal Register on October 11, 2006 
(71 FR 60046).
    Competitive Preference Priority 1: For FY 2008 this priority is a 
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award 
an additional five points to an application that meets these 
priorities.
    This priority is:
    Applications 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 to 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.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2: For FY 2008 this priority is a 
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award 
an additional five points to an application that meets this priority.
    This priority is:
    Projects that support activities to enable students to achieve 
proficiency or advanced proficiency or to develop programs in one or 
more of the following less commonly taught languages: Arabic, Chinese, 
Korean, Japanese, Russian, and languages in the Indic, Iranian, and 
Turkic language families.
    Under this competition, we are particularly interested in 
applications that address the following priorities.
    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2008, these priorities are 
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    Invitational Priority 1: Applications that propose projects that 
provide in-service training for K-12 teachers in foreign languages and 
international studies and that strengthen instruction in foreign 
languages and international studies in teacher education programs.
    Invitational Priority 2: Applications that propose projects that 
include a plan for assessment of student foreign language competency. A 
plan of assessment should include clearly defined student-learning 
outcomes and externally validated assessment approaches. The applicant 
should describe procedures for utilizing the

[[Page 59517]]

assessment data to improve foreign language program effectiveness.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1124.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
84, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR parts 655 and 
658. (c) The notice of final priorities for discretionary grant 
programs, published in the Federal Register on October 11, 2006 (71 FR 
60046).

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to Institutions of 
Higher Education (IHEs) only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$1,617,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2008. 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: Single Institution: $50,000-$90,000. 
Consortia/Organizations/Associations: $80,000-$140,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: Single Institution: $82,000. 
Consortia/Organizations/Associations: $110,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $90,000 for a single budget period of 12 months for a 
single institution application and $140,000 for a single budget period 
of 12 months for a consortia/organization/association application. The 
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum 
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 19.

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

    Project Period: Single Institutions: Up to 24 months. Consortia/
Organizations/Associations: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: (1) IHEs; (2) combinations of IHEs; (3) 
partnerships between nonprofit educational organizations and IHEs; and 
(4) public and private nonprofit agencies and organizations, including 
professional and scholarly associations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program has a 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), and the 
regulations for this program in 34 CFR 658.41. UISFL Program grantees 
must provide matching funds in either of the following ways: (a) cash 
contributions from private sector corporations or foundations equal to 
one-third of the total project costs; or (b) a combination of 
institutional and non-institutional cash or in-kind contributions 
including State and private sector corporation or foundation 
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 or under Title V of the HEA.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Christine Corey, 
International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 
1990 K Street, NW., room 6069, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: 
(202) 502-7629 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    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 application narrative (Part III) to no 
more than 40 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an 
identifier may be outside of the 1'' margin.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, captions, and all text in charts, 
tables, and graphs may be single spaced. Charts, tables, figures, and 
graphs in the application narrative count toward the page limit.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10-point (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10-point 
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for 
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the supplemental information 
form required by the Department; Part II, the budget section, including 
the narrative budget justification; and Part IV, the assurances and 
certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a table of 
contents. If you include any attachments or appendices not specifically 
requested, these items will be counted as part of the Program Narrative 
(Part III) for purposes of the page limit requirement. You must include 
your complete response to the selection criteria in the program 
narrative.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: October 22, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 26, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission 
Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 25, 2008.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34

[[Page 59518]]

CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for 
this competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the UISFL Program, CFDA Number 
84.016A, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide 
Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you 
will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it 
offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-
mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the UISFL 
Program at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable 
application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not 
include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 
84.016, not 84.016A).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, the Department of 
Education Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and 
all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note that two of 
these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education Supplemental 
Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424 (Application for 
Federal Education Assistance).
     You must attach any narrative sections of your application 
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable 
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file 
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, 
we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the

[[Page 59519]]

application deadline date, please contact the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice and provide 
an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with 
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will 
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
     If you mail your written statement to the Department, it 
must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application 
deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we 
must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Christine Corey, 
International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 
1990 K Street, NW., room 6069, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Fax: (202) 
502-7859.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service:

U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.016A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-
4260; or

    By mail through a commercial carrier:

U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Stop 4260, 
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.016A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 
20785-1506.

    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.016A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260. The Application Control Center 
accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, 
DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications:
    If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. General: For FY 2008, applications will be randomly divided and 
reviewed by separate panels of language and area studies experts. A 
rank order from highest to lowest score will be developed and used for 
funding purposes.
    2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
from 34 CFR 658.31 through 658.34. The following criteria are used to 
evaluate all applications: (a) Plan of operation (15 points); (b) 
quality of key personnel (10 points); (c) budget and cost effectiveness 
(10 points); (d) adequacy of resources (5 points); and (e) evaluation 
plan (20 points). The following additional criteria are applied to 
applications submitted by an IHE or a combination of IHEs: (a) 
Commitment to international studies (10 points); (b) elements of the 
proposed international studies program (10 points); and (c) need for 
and prospective results of the proposed program (10 points). The 
following additional criterion is applied to applications from 
organizations and associations: Need for and potential impact of the 
proposed project in improving international studies and the study of 
modern foreign languages at the undergraduate level (30 points).

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notice 
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other

[[Page 59520]]

requirements in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the objective for the UISFL program is to 
meet the nation's security and economic needs through the development 
of a national capacity in foreign languages and area and international 
studies.
    The Department will use the following UISFL performance measures to 
evaluate its success in meeting this objective: (1) Percentage of 
critical languages addressed/covered by foreign language major, minor, 
or certificate programs created or enhanced, by language courses 
created or enhanced, or by faculty or instructor positions created with 
UISFL or matching funds in the reporting period. (2) Percentage of 
projects reported and validated as high quality or successfully 
completed.
    The information provided by grantees in their performance reports 
submitted via the electronic International Resource Information System 
(IRIS) will be the source of data for this measure.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Corey, International 
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., room 6069, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7629 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package 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 in section VII in this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/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.

    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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: October 17, 2007.
Diane Auer Jones,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E7-20762 Filed 10-19-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P