[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 161 (Friday, August 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42290-42292]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-20177]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Jacob K. 
Javits Fellowship Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards 
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.170A.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: August 21, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 5, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of the Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid (FAFSA): January 31, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Jacob K. Javits (JKJ) 
Fellowship Program is to award fellowships to eligible students of 
superior ability, selected on the basis of demonstrated achievement, 
financial need, and exceptional promise, to undertake graduate study in 
specific fields in the arts, humanities, and social sciences leading to 
a doctoral degree or to a master's degree in those fields in which the 
master's degree is the terminal highest degree awarded to the selected 
field of study at accredited institutions of higher education. The 
selected fields in the arts are: creative writing, music performance, 
music theory, music composition, music literature, studio arts 
(including photography), television, film, cinematography, theater 
arts, playwriting, screenwriting, acting, and dance. The selected 
fields in the humanities are: art history (including architectural 
history), archeology, area studies, classics, comparative literature, 
English language and literature, folklore, folk life, foreign languages 
and literature, history, linguistics, philosophy, religion (excluding 
study of religious vocation), speech, rhetoric, and debate. The 
selected fields in the

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social sciences are: anthropology, communications and media, economics, 
ethnic and cultural studies, geography, political science, psychology 
(excluding clinical psychology), public policy and public 
administration, and sociology (excluding the master's and doctoral 
degrees in social work).

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1134-1134d.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75 (except as 
provided in 34 CFR 650.3(b)), 77, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99. (b) 
The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 650.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grant.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,181,385 for new awards.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $43,755.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 27.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Individuals who, at the time of 
application: are eligible to receive a Federal grant, loan or work 
assistance pursuant to section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 
as amended (HEA); intend to pursue a doctoral or Master of Fine Arts 
degree in an eligible field of study selected by the Board at an 
accredited U.S. institution of higher education; and are a U.S. citizen 
or national, a permanent resident of the United States, in the United 
States for other than a temporary purpose and intending to become a 
permanent resident, or a citizen of any one of the Freely Associated 
States. Applicants must also either: be entering into a doctoral 
program in academic year 2010-2011, or have not yet completed the first 
full year in the doctoral program, in an eligible field of study for 
which they are seeking support; or be entering a Master of Fine Arts 
program in academic year 2010-2011, or have not yet completed the first 
full year in the Master of Fine Arts program, in an eligible field of 
study for which they are seeking support.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package:
    You can obtain an application package via the Internet or from the 
Department. To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following 
address for the JKJ Fellowship Program Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/index.html. To obtain a copy from the Department, 
write, fax, or call the following: Carmen Gordon or Sara Starke, Jacob 
K. Javits Fellowship Program, U.S. Department of Education, Teacher and 
Student Development Programs Service, 1990 K St., NW., Room 6089, 
Washington, DC 20006-8524. Telephone: (202) 502-7542 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 accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or computer diskette) by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.

    Note: The FAFSA can be obtained from the institution of higher 
education's financial aid office or accessed at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.

    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 program.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: August 21, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 5, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of the FAFSA: January 31, 2010.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application by mail or hand 
delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements 
of 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 of this notice.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted in paper format by mail or hand 
delivery.

a. Submission of Applications by Mail

    If you submit your application by mail (through the U.S. Postal 
Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two 
copies of your application, 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 
84.170A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 
DC 20202-4260. 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 1: 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.


    Note 2: Materials mailed through the U.S. Postal Service may be 
subject to damage due to irradiation processes. Therefore, Arts 
applicants are required to send their applications by commercial 
carrier.

b. Submission of Applications by Hand Delivery

    If you submit your application by hand delivery, you (or a courier 
service) 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 84.170A), 550 12th Street, SW., 
Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between

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8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
established by the JKJ Program Fellowship Board, pursuant to section 
702(a)(2) of the HEA and 34 CFR 650.20(a). The selection criteria for 
applications in the humanities and social sciences are: (a) Statement 
of purpose (150 points); (b) Letters of recommendation (100 points); 
(c) Academic record (100 points); and (d) Scholarly awards/honors (50 
points). The selection criteria for applications in the arts are: (a) 
Statement of purpose (100 points); (b) Letters of recommendation (100 
points); (c) Academic record (50 points); (d) Scholarly awards/honors 
(50 points); and (e) Supporting arts materials (100 points).
    2. Review and Selection Process: The review and selection process 
for the JKJ Fellowship Program consists of a two-part process. Eligible 
applications are read and rated by a panel of distinguished scholars 
and academics in the arts, humanities, and social sciences on the basis 
of demonstrated scholarly achievements and exceptional promise. The 
second part of the evaluation is a determination of financial need.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we will notify 
you by telephone and we will send a Grant Award Notice (GAN) directly 
to the institution you will be attending.
    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 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 of 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: On an annual basis, fellows must submit their FAFSA 
to the Javits Program Coordinator at their institutions, as directed by 
the Secretary, pursuant to 34 CFR 650.37. In addition, Javits fellows 
are required to submit an annual performance report. The Department 
will contact fellows regarding the completion of the annual performance 
report.
    4. Performance Measures: The effectiveness of the JKJ Fellowship 
Program will be measured by graduate completion rates, time-to-degree 
completion rates, and the costs per Ph.D or master's degree of talented 
graduate students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing the 
highest degree available in their designated fields of study. 
Institutions of higher education in which the fellows are enrolled are 
required to submit an annual report documenting the fellows' 
satisfactory academic progress and the determined financial need. 
Javits fellows are also required to submit an annual performance report 
to assist program staff in tracking time-to-degree completion rates, 
graduation rates, as well as the employment status of individual 
fellows. The Department will use the reports to assess the program's 
success in assisting fellows in completing their course of study and 
receiving their degree.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For Further Information Contact: Carmen Gordon or Sara Starke, 
Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program, U.S. Department of Education, 
Teacher and Student Development Programs Service, 1990 K St., NW., Room 
6089, Washington, DC 20006-8524. Telephone: (202) 502-7542 or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible 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 of 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: http://get.adobe.com/reader. 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.

    Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated 
authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy 
Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary Education to perform the 
functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 
Education.

    Dated: August 18, 2009.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. E9-20177 Filed 8-20-09; 8:45 am]
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