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[Federal Register: February 2, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 21)]
[Notices]               
[Page 5296-5299]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02fe10-42]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; National 
Resource Centers (NRC) Program for Foreign Language and Area Studies or 
Foreign Language and International Studies Program and Foreign Language 
and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.015A and 
84.015B.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: February 2, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 23, 2010.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 24, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The NRC Program makes awards to institutions of 
higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to 
establish or strengthen nationally recognized foreign language and area 
or international studies centers or programs. NRC awards are used to 
support undergraduate centers or comprehensive centers, which include 
undergraduate, graduate, and professional school components.
    The FLAS Fellowships Program provides allocations of fellowships to 
institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher 
education to assist meritorious undergraduate and graduate students 
undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related area or 
international studies.
    Priorities: This notice includes one absolute priority, one 
competitive preference priority, and five invitational priorities.
    NRC Program Absolute Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the regulations for the NRC 
program (34 CFR 656.23(a)(4)). For FY 2010, this priority is an 
absolute priority for the NRC program. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we 
consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Applications that provide for teacher training activities on the 
language, languages, area studies, or thematic focus of the center. 
Within this absolute priority, we are particularly interested in 
applications that address the following invitational priorities.
    NRC Program Invitational Priorities: For FY 2010, 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:

NRC Invitational Priority 1

    Applications that propose activities designed to coordinate with 
other programs in title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (HEA) with the objective of increasing the Nation's capacity to 
train and produce Americans with advanced proficiency in the less and 
least commonly taught languages along with an understanding of the 
societies in which those languages are spoken.

NRC Invitational Priority 2

    Applications that propose collaborative activities with 
institutions of higher education that are eligible to receive 
assistance under part A or B of Title III or under Title V of the HEA 
or community colleges designed to internationalize curriculum and 
improve foreign language and area and international studies instruction 
at these institutions.

NRC Invitational Priority 3

    Applications that propose collaborative activities with 
professional schools such as Business, Law, Public Health, Public 
Policy, Environmental Science, Communication, Journalism and Schools of 
Education in order to strengthen international components of study in 
those fields and to promote foreign language study by students in 
professional schools.

NRC Invitational Priority 4

    Programs or projects that develop, maintain, or enhance linkages 
with overseas institutions of higher education or other educational 
organizations in areas with substantial Muslim populations in order to 
improve understanding of these societies and provide for greater 
engagement with institutions in these areas.
    FLAS Program Competitive Preference Priority: In accordance with 34 
CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the regulations for the 
FLAS program (34 CFR 657.22(a)(2)). For FY 2010, 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 FLAS Competitive Preference Priority is:
    Applications that propose to make at least 25% of their academic 
year fellowships in any of the 78 priority languages listed below that 
were

[[Page 5297]]

selected from the U.S. Department of Education's list of Less Commonly 
Taught Languages (LCTLs):
    Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), 
Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, 
Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), 
Berber (all languages), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), 
Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), 
Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, 
Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, 
Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish 
(Kurmanji), Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), 
Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian 
(Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, 
Russian, Serbian, Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, 
Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, 
Urdu, Uyghur/Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
    FLAS Program Invitational Priority: For FY 2010, this priority is 
an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an 
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    This priority is:
    Applications that propose recruitment activities and collaboration 
with professional schools designed to increase quality fellowship 
applications for advanced level language study for professional studies 
students in fields such as Business, Law, Public Health, Public Policy, 
Environmental Science, Communication, Journalism, or Education.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1122.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 655. (c) 
The regulations for the NRC program in 34 CFR part 656. (d) The 
regulations for the FLAS program in 34 CFR part 657.

    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 only.

    Areas of National Need: In accordance with section 601(c) of the 
HEA, 20 U.S.C. 1121(c), the Secretary has consulted with and received 
recommendations regarding national need for expertise in foreign 
languages and world regions from the head officials of a wide range of 
Federal agencies. The Secretary has taken these recommendations into 
account and a list of foreign languages and world regions identified by 
the Secretary as areas of national need may be found on the following 
Web sites: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/policy.html; http://www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsnrc/legislation.html; http://www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsflasf/legislation.html.
    Also included on these Web sites are the specific recommendations 
the Secretary received from Federal agencies.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $34,041,000 for new awards for the NRC 
Program and $35,400,000 for new awards for the FLAS Program.
    Estimated NRC Program Funding Levels by Area: Africa, ($3,200,000); 
Canada, ($541,000); East Asia, ($5,075,000); International, 
($2,650,000); Latin America, ($5,075,000); Middle East, ($5,075,000); 
Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia ($5,075,000); South Asia, 
($2,675,000); Southeast Asia, ($2,025,000); and Western Europe, 
($2,650,000).
    Estimated FLAS Program Funding Levels by Area: Africa, 
($3,550,000); Canada, ($320,000); East Asia, ($5,780,000); 
International, ($1,920,000); Latin America, ($4,800,000); Middle East, 
($5,240,000); Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia ($5,780,000); South 
Asia, ($3,200,000); Southeast Asia, ($2,460,000); and Western Europe, 
($2,350,000).
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$349,000 per year for the NRC 
Program; $86,500-$376,000 per year for the FLAS Program.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $270,000 per year for the NRC 
Program; $281,000 per year for the FLAS Program.
    Estimated FLAS Program Subsistence Allowance: The subsistence 
allowance for an academic year 2010-2011 fellowship is $15,000 for a 
graduate student and $5,000 for an undergraduate student. The 
subsistence allowance for a summer 2011 fellowship is $2,500 for 
graduate and undergraduate students.
    Estimated FLAS Program Institutional Payment: The institutional 
payment for an academic year 2010-2011 fellowship is $18,000 for a 
graduate student and $10,000 for an undergraduate student. The 
institutional payment for a summer 2011 fellowship is $5,000 for 
graduate and undergraduate students.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 126 NRC awards; 126 FLAS awards. We 
estimate that the 126 FLAS awards will yield 950 academic year 
fellowships and 900 summer fellowships.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: An institution of higher education or 
consortia of institutions of higher education.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: These programs do not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Carla White, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6084, Washington, DC 
20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7631 or by e-mail: carla.white@ed.gov.
    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 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 these programs.
    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 no more than 45 pages for 
a single institution application or no more than 55 pages for a 
consortium application, 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.
     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. Charts, 
tables, figures, and graphs in the project narrative count toward the 
page limit.
     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.

[[Page 5298]]

     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    Section C of the application package provides instructions about 
the application narrative. The narrative must include your complete 
response to the selection criteria.
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the budget forms and budget detail (costs and 
descriptions); the assurances and certifications; the one-page 
abstract; the appendices including the four-page timeline, the 
biographical information, the course list, and the table of project 
objectives; the world area selection sheet; the FLAS approved languages 
list; the GEPA statement; or the application information to meet 
statutory requirements (description of diverse perspectives and wide 
range of views in funded activities and description of government 
service in areas of national need and in other employment sectors).
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 2, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 23, 2010.
    Applications for grants under this competition 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.--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 
of 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: May 24, 2010.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: These programs are subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. 
Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under 
Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for these programs.
    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 
these programs 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 Numbers 84.015A 
and 84.015B), 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:  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.

    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 Numbers 84.015A and 84.015B), 550 12th 
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-
4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 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 grant 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: All NRC and FLAS grant applications are categorized 
based on their focus on a single country or on a world area, such as 
Africa, East Asia, or the Middle East, or on international studies. For 
FY 2010, all NRC and FLAS applications will be assigned to a geographic 
or international studies reader panel, based on the designation that 
you, the applicant, have specified on the world area selection sheet in 
your grant application. For the competition, each distinct geographic 
or international studies reader panel will separately review, score, 
and rank its assigned NRC and FLAS grant applications. For the NRC 
Program and for the FLAS Program, the Department will select 
applications for funding consideration from each distinct reader panel 
based on their ranking from highest to lowest within that panel.
    2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for the NRC and FLAS 
Programs are in 34 CFR 656.21 and 656.22, and 657.21, respectively, and 
are listed in the application package.

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 
Notification (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 requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of 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

[[Page 5299]]

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 the NRC and FLAS 
Programs, final and annual reports must be submitted into the 
International Resource Information System (IRIS) online data and 
reporting system. For specific requirements on reporting, please go to: 
http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/NRC.pdf; http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/FLAS_director.pdf; http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/FLAS_fellow.pdf.
    4. Performance Measures: The objective of the NRC Program is to 
provide grants to institutions of higher education or consortia of 
institutions of higher education to establish, strengthen, and operate 
comprehensive and undergraduate language and area or international 
studies centers. The Department will use the following measures to 
determine the success of the NRC Program.
    NRC Performance Measure 1: Percentage of less and least commonly 
taught languages as defined by the Secretary of Education taught at 
Title VI National Resource Centers.
    NRC Performance Measure 2: Percentage of priority languages 
(formerly referred to as critical need languages) as defined by the 
Secretary of Education taught at National Resource Centers.
    NRC Performance Measure 3: Percentage of NRC grants teaching 
intermediate or advanced courses in priority languages (formerly 
referred to as critical need languages) as defined by the Secretary of 
Education.
    The objective of the FLAS Program is to provide academic year and 
summer fellowships to institutions of higher education to assist 
undergraduate and graduate students studying foreign languages and 
either area or international studies. The Department will use the 
following measures to evaluate the success of the FLAS Program.
    FLAS Performance Measure 1: The average competency score of FLAS 
recipients at the end of one full year of instruction minus the average 
score at the beginning of the year.
    FLAS Performance Measure 2: Percentage of FLAS master's and 
doctoral graduates that studied priority languages (formerly referred 
to as critical need languages) as defined by the Secretary of 
Education.
    FLAS Performance Measure 3: Percentage of FLAS participants who 
report that they found employment that utilizes their language and area 
skills.
    FLAS Efficiency Measure: Cost per FLAS Fellowship Program fellow 
increasing average language competency by at least one level.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Carla White, International 
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., room 6084, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7631 or, by e-mail: carla.white@ed.gov.
    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.

    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: January 28, 2010.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2010-2185 Filed 2-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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