[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 81 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 23259-23260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09559]



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 Rules and Regulations
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  Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 81 / Monday, April 28, 2014 / Rules 
and Regulations  

[[Page 23259]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

7 CFR Part 3434

RIN 0524-AA39


Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU)

AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This rule updates the list of institutions that are granted 
HSACU certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU 
programs for the period starting October 1, 2013 and ending September 
30, 2014.

DATES: This rule is effective April 28, 2014 and applicable October 1, 
2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Lockhart; Senior Policy 
Specialist; National Institute of Food and Agriculture; U.S. Department 
of Agriculture; STOP 2299; 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20250-2299; Voice: 202-559-5088; Fax: 202-401-7752; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

HSACU Institutions for Fiscal Year 2014

    This rule makes changes to the existing list of institutions in 
Appendix B of 7 CFR part 3434. The list of institutions is amended to 
reflect the institutions that are granted HSACU certification by the 
Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting 
October 1, 2013, and ending September 30, 2014.

Certification Process

    As stated in 7 CFR 3434.4, an institution must meet the following 
criteria to receive HSACU certification: (1) Be a Hispanic-Serving 
Institution (HSI), (2) offer agriculture-related degrees, (3) not 
appear on the Excluded Parties List, (4) be accredited, and (5) award 
at least 15% of agriculture-related degrees to Hispanic students over 
the two most recent academic years.
    NIFA obtained the latest report from the U.S. Department of 
Education's National Center for Education Statistics that lists all 
HSIs and the degrees conferred by these institutions (completions data) 
during the 2011-12 academic year. NIFA used this report to identify 
HSIs that conferred a degree in an instructional program that appears 
in Appendix A of 7 CFR part 3434 and to confirm that over the 2010-11 
and 2011-12 academic years at least 15% of the degrees in agriculture-
related fields were awarded to Hispanic students. NIFA further 
confirmed that these institutions were nationally accredited and did 
not have any exclusions listed in the System for Award Management 
(https://www.sam.gov).
    The updated list of HSACUs is based on (1) completions data from 
2010-11 and 2011-12, and (2) enrollment data from Fall 2012. NIFA 
identified 97 institutions that will meet the eligibility criteria and 
receive HSACU certification for FY 2014 (October 1, 2013 to September 
30, 2014).

Declaration of Intent To Apply for NLGCA Designation

    As set forth in Section 7101 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. 
L. 113-79), which amends 7 U.S.C. 3103, an institution that is eligible 
to be designated as an HSACU may notify the Secretary of its intent not 
to be considered an HSACU. To opt out of designation as an HSACU, an 
authorized official at the institution must submit a declaration of 
intent not to be considered an HSACU to NIFA by email at 
[email protected]. In accordance with Section 7101, a 
declaration by an institution not to be considered an HSACU shall 
remain in effect until September 30, 2018. Institutions that opt out of 
HSACU designation will have the option to apply for designation as a 
Non-Land Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCA) institution. To be 
eligible for NLGCA designation, institutions must be public colleges or 
universities offering baccalaureate or higher degrees in the study of 
food and agricultural sciences, as defined in 7 U.S.C. 3103. 
Instructions regarding the process to apply for NLGCA designation will 
be posted at www.nifa.usda.gov by May 1, 2014.

Appeal Process

    As set forth in 7 CFR 3434.8, NIFA will permit HSIs that are not 
granted HSACU certification to submit an appeal within 30 days of the 
publication of this notice.

Classification

    This rule relates to internal agency management. Accordingly, 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553, notice of proposed rulemaking and opportunity 
for comment are not required, and this rule may be made effective less 
than 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. This rule also 
is exempt from the provisions of Executive Order 12866. This action is 
not a rule as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended by 
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, 5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq., or the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et 
seq., and thus is exempt from the provisions of those Acts. This rule 
contains no information collection or recordkeeping requirements under 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 3434

    Administrative practice and procedure; Agricultural research, 
education, extension; Hispanic-Serving Institutions; Federal 
assistance.

    Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended accordingly 
as set forth below:

PART 3434--HISPANIC-SERVING AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 
CERTIFICATION PROCESS

0
1. The authority citation for part 3434 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 3103.


0
2. Revise Appendix B to part 3434 to read as follows:

Appendix B to Part 3434--List of HSACU Institutions, 2013-2014

    The institutions listed in this appendix are granted HSACU 
certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs 
for the period starting October 1, 2013, and ending September 30, 
2014. Institutions are listed alphabetically under the state of the 
school's

[[Page 23260]]

location, with the campus indicated where applicable.

Arizona (4)
    Central Arizona College
    Cochise College
    Phoenix College
    Pima Community College
California (37)
    Allan Hancock College
    Bakersfield College
    California State Polytechnic University--Pomona
    California State University--Channel Islands
    California State University--Fresno
    California State University--Monterey Bay
    California State University--San Bernardino
    Chaffey College
    College of the Desert
    College of the Sequoias
    Fullerton College
    Glendale Community College
    Golden West College
    Hartnell College
    Imperial Valley College
    Los Angeles Pierce College
    Mendocino College
    Merced College
    MiraCosta College
    Modesto Junior College
    Monterey Peninsula College
    Mt. San Antonio College
    Mt. San Jacinto Community College District
    National University
    Orange Coast College
    Porterville College
    Reedley College
    Saint Mary's College of California
    San Diego Mesa College
    San Joaquin Delta College
    Santa Ana College
    Santa Barbara City College
    Southwestern College
    University of California--Merced
    West Hills College Coalinga
    Whittier College
    Woodland Community College
Colorado (1)
    Trinidad State Junior College
Connecticut (1)
    Norwalk Community College
Florida (3)
    Florida International University
    Miami Dade College
    Nova Southeastern University
Illinois (3)
    City Colleges of Chicago--Harold Washington College
    Dominican University
    Triton College
New Jersey (1)
    Bergen Community College
New Mexico (7)
    Central New Mexico Community College
    Mesalands Community College
    New Mexico Highlands University
    Northern New Mexico College
    Santa Fe Community College
    University of New Mexico--Main Campus
    Western New Mexico University
New York (3)
    CUNY Bronx Community College
    CUNY LaGuardia Community College
    Mercy College
Puerto Rico (14)
    Bayamon Central University
    Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Aguadilla
    Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Bayamon
    Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Metro
    Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Ponce
    Inter American University of Puerto Rico--San German
    Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico--Ponce
    Universidad Del Turabo
    Universidad Metropolitana
    University of Puerto Rico--Arecibo
    University of Puerto Rico--Humacao
    University of Puerto Rico--Medical Sciences Campus
    University of Puerto Rico--Rio Piedras Campus
    University of Puerto Rico--Utuado
Texas (19)
    Houston Community College
    Howard College
    Lee College
    Midland College
    Palo Alto College
    Richland College
    Saint Edward's University
    Southwest Texas Junior College
    Texas A&M International University
    Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi
    Texas A&M University--Kingsville
    Texas State Technical College--Harlingen
    University of Texas at Brownsville
    University of Texas at El Paso
    University of Texas at San Antonio
    University of Texas--Pan American
    University of Houston
    University of St. Thomas
    University of the Incarnate Word
Washington (4)
    Big Bend Community College
    Columbia Basin College
    Wenatchee Valley College
    Yakima Valley Community College

    Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of April, 2014.
Sonny Ramaswamy,
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2014-09559 Filed 4-25-14; 8:45 am]
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