[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 53 (Monday, March 19, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 11869-11871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05541]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

7 CFR Part 3434

RIN 0524-AA39


Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) 
Certification Process

AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: This amendment to NIFA regulations updates the list of 
institutions that are granted Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges 
and Universities (HSACU) certification by the Secretary and are 
eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2017, 
and ending September 30, 2018.

DATES: This rule is effective March 19, 2018 and applicable October 1, 
2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanna Moore; Senior Policy 
Specialist; National Institute of Food and Agriculture; U.S. Department 
of Agriculture; STOP 2272; 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-2272; Voice: 202-690-6011; Fax: 202-401-7752; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

HSACU Institutions for Fiscal Year 2018

    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, 2017, and ending September 30, 2018.

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 System (EPLS), (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 (completion data) 
during the 2015-16 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 2014-15 
and 2015-16 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 were 
not on the exclusions listing in the System for Award Management 
(https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11).
    The updated list of HSACUs is based on (1) completions data from 
2014-15 and 2015-16, and (2) enrollment data from Fall 2016. NIFA 
identified 147 institutions that met the eligibility criteria to 
receive HSACU certification for FY 2018 (October 1, 2017 to September 
30, 2018).

Declaration of Intent To Opt Out of HSACU Designation and Apply for Non 
Land-Grant College of Agriculture (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. 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 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. 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. An online form to 
request NLGCA designation is available at http://nifa.usda.gov/webform/
request-

[[Page 11870]]

non-land-grant-college-agriculture-designation.
    In FYs 2016 and 2017, one institution opted out of HSACU 
designation and received NLGCA designation, hence that institution is 
excluded from the FY 2018 HSACU list.

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 document.

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.

    Accordingly, part 3434 of title 7 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations is amended 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 read as follows:

Appendix B to Part 3434--List of HSACU Institutions, 2017-2018

    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, 2017, and ending September 30, 
2018. Institutions are listed alphabetically under the state of the 
school's location, with the campus indicated where applicable.

Arizona (6)

Arizona Western College
Central Arizona College
Cochise County Community College
Phoenix College
Pima Community College
University of Arizona

California (63)

Allan Hancock College
Antioch University-Los Angeles
Bakersfield College
Cabrillo College
California Baptist University
California State University-San Bernardino
California State University-Dominguez Hills
California State University-Long Beach
California State University-Los Angeles
California State University-East Bay
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Riverside
University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-Santa Cruz
California Lutheran University
Chaffey College
Craft Hills College
College of the Desert
College of the Sequoias
Cosumnes River College
Cuesta College
Cuyamaca College
El Camino Community College District
Foothill College
Fresno Pacific University
Fullerton College
Golden West College
Hartnell College
Imperial Valley College
Las Positas College
Long Beach City College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Mendocino College
Merced College
Mills College
MiraCosta College
Modesto Junior College
Mt. San Antonio College
Mt. San Jacinto Community College District
Napa Valley College
National University
Orange Coast College
Pacific Union College
Porterville College
Reedley College
Santa Ana College
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Monica College
San Bernardino Valley College
San Diego City College
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego State University
San Jose State University
Saint Mary's College of California
Southwestern College
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Riverside
University of California-Santa Cruz
Victor Valley College
West Hills College-Coalinga
Whittier College
Woodland Community College
Yuba College

Colorado (2)

Aims Community College
Community College of Denver

Florida (5)

Broward College
Florida International University
Miami Dade College
Palm Beach State College
Valencia College

Illinois (1)

Dominican University

Kansas (3)

Dodge City Community College
Garden City Community College
Seward County Community College and Area Technical School

Massachusetts (1)

Springfield Technical Community College

Nevada (2)

College of Southern Nevada
Truckee Meadows Community College

New Jersey (5)

Essex County College
Kern University
Saint Peter's University

New Mexico (10)

Central New Mexico Community College
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso Campus
Mesalands Community College
New Mexico Highlands University
Northern New Mexico College
Santa Fe Community College
Western New Mexico University
University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus
University of New Mexico-Main Campus

New York (5)

CUNY City College
CUNY Hunter College
CUNY LaGuardia Community College
Mercy College
SUNY Westchester Community College

Oregon (1)

Chemeketa Community College

Puerto Rico (15)

Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de Manati
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-San German
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
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-Utuado
University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences
University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

[[Page 11871]]

Texas (24)

Concordia University-Texas
Houston Community College
McLennan Community College
Odessa College
Palo Alto College
Saint Edwards's University
San Antonio College
Southwest Texas Junior College
South Plains College
St. Mary's University
Tarrant County College District
Texas State Technical College
Texas A & M International University
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi
The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at Brownsville
University of Houston
University of Houston-Clear Lake
University of the Incarnate Word
University of St. Thomas
Western Texas College
Wayland Baptist University

Washington (4)

Columbia Basin College
Heritage University
Wenatchee Valley College
Yakima Valley Community College

    Done in Washington, DC, this 8th day of March 2018.
Sonny Ramaswamy,
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2018-05541 Filed 3-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-22-P