64992 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 236 / Tuesday, December 9, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

Higher Education Challenge Grants

Program for Fiscal Year 1998;

Solicitation of Applications

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service (CSREES) is announcing the

Higher Education Challenge Grants

Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998.

Proposals are hereby requested from

eligible institutions as identified herein

for competitive consideration of

Challenge Grant awards.

DATES: Proposals must be received by

February 23, 1998. Forms indicating

intent to submit a proposal are due

January 22, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Howard E. Sandberg, Ph.D., Higher

Education Programs; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture;

STOP 2251; 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250–

2251; telephone: (202) 720–1973; e-mail:

hsandberg@reeusda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

Program is subject to the provisions

found at 7 CFR Part 3405, 62 FR 39316,

July 22, 1997. These provisions set forth

procedures to be followed when

submitting grant proposals, rules

governing the evaluation of proposals

and the awarding of grants, and

regulations relating to the post-award

administration of grant projects.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

This program is listed in the Catalog

of Federal Domestic Assistance under

No. 10.217, Higher Education Challenge

Grants Program.

Authority

The authority for this program is

contained in section 1417(b)(1) of the

National Agricultural Research,

Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of

1977, as amended (NARETPA) (7 U.S.C.

3152(b)(1)). Under this authority,

subject to the availability of funds, the

Secretary of Agriculture, who has

delegated the authority to the

Administrator of CSREES, may make

competitive grants, for a period not to

exceed 5 years, to land-grant colleges

and universities, to colleges and

universities having significant minority

enrollments and a demonstrable

capacity to carry out the teaching of

food and agricultural sciences, and to

other colleges and universities having a

demonstrable capacity to carry out the

teaching of food and agricultural

sciences, to administer and conduct

programs to respond to identified State,

regional, national or international

educational needs in the food and

agricultural sciences.

Purpose of the Program

Grants will be made to U.S. colleges

and universities to strengthen their

teaching programs in the food and

agricultural sciences in the targeted

need areas as described herein. The

Higher Education Challenge Grants

Program is designed to stimulate and

enable colleges and universities to

provide the quality of education

necessary to produce baccalaureate or

higher degree level graduates capable of

strengthening the Nation’s food and

agricultural scientific and professional

work force. It is intended that projects

supported by the program will: (1)

address a State, regional, national, or

international educational need; (2)

involve a creative or nontraditional

approach toward addressing that need

which can serve as a model to others;

(3) encourage and facilitate better

working relationships in the university

science and education community, as

well as between universities and the

private sector, to enhance program

quality and supplement available

resources; and (4) result in benefits

which will likely transcend the project

duration and USDA support.

Eligibility

Proposals may be submitted by landgrant and other U.S. colleges and

universities offering a baccalaureate or

first professional degree in at least one

discipline or area of the food and

agricultural sciences. Each applicant

must have a demonstrable capacity for,

and a significant ongoing commitment

to, the teaching of food and agricultural

sciences generally and to the specific

need and/or subject area(s) for which a

grant is requested. In addition, a grantee

institution must meet the definition of

a college or university as defined in 7

CFR 3405.2(f), 62 FR 39316, July 22,

1997. An institution eligible to receive

an award under this program includes a

research foundation maintained by an

eligible college or university.

Available Funds

CSREES anticipates that the amount

available for project grants under this

program in FY 1998 will be

approximately $4,067,250. Awards will

be based on merit evaluation of

proposals by peer review panels and

internal staff review.

Targeted Need Areas Supported

For FY 1998, proposals must address

one or more of the following targeted

need areas: (1) Curricula Design and

Materials Development; (2) Faculty

Preparation and Enhancement for

Teaching; (3) Instruction Delivery

Systems; and (4) Student Experiential

Learning. A description of these targeted

need areas can be found in the Scope of

Program section of 7 CFR 3405.6, 62 FR

39316, July 22, 1997. A proposal may

address a single targeted need area or

multiple targeted need areas, and may

be focused on a single subject matter

area or multiple subject matter areas, in

any combination (e.g., curriculum

development in horticulture;

curriculum development, faculty

enhancement, and student experiential

learning in animal science; faculty

enhancement in food science and

agribusiness management; or instruction

delivery systems and student

experiential learning in plant science,

horticulture, and entomology).

Degree Levels Supported

For FY 1998, proposals must be

directed to undergraduate studies

leading to a baccalaureate degree. For

purposes of this program, proposals

directed to the first professional degree

in veterinary medicine also are

allowable. Projects directed to the

graduate level of study will not be

supported.

Proposal Submission Limitations

There is no limit on the number of

proposals any one institution may

submit. In addition, there is no limit on

the number of proposals which may be

submitted on behalf of the same school,

college, or equivalent administrative

unit within an institution.

Project Duration

A regular, complementary, or joint

project proposal may request funding

for a project period of 18 months to

three-years duration.

Matching Requirement

Each grant recipient under the Higher

Education Challenge Grants Program is

required to match the grant funds

awarded on a dollar-for-dollar basis

from a non-Federal source(s). The cash

contributions toward matching from the

institution should be identified in the

column ‘‘Applicant Contributions to

Matching Funds’’ of the Higher

Education Budget, Form CSREES–713.

The cash contributions of the institution

and third parties as well as non-cash
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 236 / Tuesday, December 9, 1997 / Notices 64993

contributions should be identified on

Line N., as appropriate, of Form

CSREES–713.

Maximum Grant Amount

For a regular or complementary

project proposal, the maximum funds

that may be requested from CSREES

under this program to cover allowable

costs during the project period are

$80,000. (The total Federal contribution

to the budget for a regular or

complementary project proposal may

not exceed $80,000.) For a joint project

proposal, the maximum funds that may

be requested from CSREES under this

program to cover allowable costs during

the project period are $160,000. (The

total Federal contribution to the budget

for a joint project proposal may not

exceed $160,000). Please refer to the

Administrative Provisions for this

program at 7 CFR 3405.2, 62 FR 39316,

July 22, 1997, for the definitions of

regular, complementary, and joint

project proposals.

Note: These maximums are for the total

duration of the project, not per year.

Funding Limitations Per Institution

The maximum total funds that may be

awarded to an institution under this

program in FY 1998 are $200,000. Of

funds awarded for either joint,

complementary, or regular project

proposals, only the grant funds retained

by the grantee institution will count

against the grantee institution’s

maximum of $200,000. Funds awarded

by lead institutions to other colleges and

universities through subcontracts or

subgrants will count against each

respective institution’s maximum of

$200,000.

Maximum Number of Grants Per

Institution

For FY 1998, a maximum of three

grants may be awarded to any one

institution under the Higher Education

Challenge Grants Program.

Evaluation Criteria

For the FY 1998 competition, the peer

review panel(s) will consider the

following criteria and weights to

evaluate proposals submitted for

funding:

Note: In accordance with 7 CFR 3405.15,

the evaluation criteria specified below differs

from and takes precedence over the

evaluation criteria in the administrative

regulations.

Evaluation criterion Weight

(a) Potential for addressing a State, regional, national or international need ....................................................................................... 65 points.

This criterion assesses the potential of the project to add value by advancing the quality of food and agricultural sciences

higher education and producing graduates capable of strengthening the Nation’s food and agricultural scientific and professional work force. This criterion includes the following elements: impact, innovation, expected products and results, and

continuation plans.

(1) Impact—Does the project address a clearly documented State, regional, national, or international need? Will the benefits

to be derived from the project transcend the applicant institution and/or the grant period?

(2) Innovation—Is the project based on an innovative or a non-traditional approach toward solving a higher education problem.

(3) Products and results—Are the expected products and/or results of the project clearly explained? Will the project contribute to an improvement in the quality or diversity of the Nation’s food and agricultural scientific and professional expertise

base?

(4) Continuation plans—Are there plans for continuation or expansion of the project beyond USDA support? Are there indications of external, non-Federal support? Are there realistic plans for making the project self-supporting?

(b) Potential of submitting institution(s) to successfully complete project objectives ............................................................................ 70 points.

This criterion assesses the soundness of the proposed approach, the adequacy of human and physical resources available

to carry out the project, the institution’s commitment to the project, partnerships and collaborative efforts, its cost-effectiveness, and the extent to which the total budget adequately supports the project.

(1) Proposed approach—Are the objectives achievable, logical, and based on review of literature? Is the plan of operation

managerially, educationally, and/or scientifically sound? Is the overall plan integrated with or does it expand upon other

major efforts to improve the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education? Is the timetable realistic?

(2) Resources—Are there adequate institutional resources to carry out the project? Do the project personnel possess requisite expertise to complete successfully the project? Have personnel committed adequate effort to achieve stated objectives and anticipated outcomes? Will the project have adequate administrative support to carry out the proposed activities?

Will the project have access to needed resources such as instrumentation, facilities, computer services, library, and other

instruction support resources?

(3) Institutional commitment—Is there evidence to substantiate that the institution has a long term commitment to support the

result(s) and/or product(s) produced by this project, that it will help satisfy the institution’s high-priority objectives, or that

the project is supported by the institution’s strategic plans?

(4) Partnerships and collaborative efforts— Will the project expand partnership ventures among disciplines at a university,

between colleges and universities, or with the private sector? Will the arrangements for partner(s) and/or collaborator(s)

enhance dissemination of the result(s) and/or product(s)?

(5) Budget and cost-effectiveness—Is the budget request justifiable? Are costs reasonable and necessary? Will the total

budget be adequate to carry out project activities? Are the source(s) and amount(s) of non-Federal matching support

clearly identified and appropriately documented? For a joint project proposal, is the shared budget for three or more institutions explained clearly and in sufficient detail? Is the proposed project cost-effective? Does it demonstrate a creative use

of limited resources, maximize educational value per dollar of USDA support, achieve economies of scale, leverage additional funds or have the potential to do so, focus expertise and activity on a targeted need area, or promote coalition building for current or future ventures?

(c) Effectiveness of evaluation plan and potential for dissemination of the result(s) and/or products to other institutions and for utilization by other institutions.65 points.

This criterion assesses the adequacy of the evaluation strategy, the quality of outcome measures, the expertise and availability of human resources to conduct the evaluation, the record of the key personnel in disseminating advancements in

education, e.g., publishing educational articles in peer reviewed journals, the adequacy of the plan for dissemination, and

the potential for utilization by other institutions.
64994 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 236 / Tuesday, December 9, 1997 / Notices

Evaluation criterion Weight

(1) Evaluation—Does the proposal contain a well-designed plan to evaluate results of the project? Will this plan provide conclusions suitable for convincing a peer review audience of the accomplishment? Does it allow for continuous and/or frequent feedback during the life of the project? Does the evaluation plan contain outcome measures? Are the outcome

measures capable of assessing the quality and usefulness of project results and products? Are the individuals involved in

project evaluation skilled in evaluation strategies and procedures? Can the outcome measures provide an objective evaluation? Is the outcome assessment designed in such a way that it can assist faculty at other institutions in deciding whether to use project results or products?

(2) Dissemination—Is there a commitment to submit the results of the project evaluation to peer review by the academic

community in the food and agricultural sciences? Does the proposed project include clearly outlined and realistic mechanisms that will lead to widespread dissemination of project results, including national electronic communication systems,

publications, presentations at professional conferences, and/or use by faculty development or research/teaching skills

workshops?

(3) Utilization—Is it probable that other institutions will adapt the result(s) and/or product(s) of this project for their own use?

Can the project serve as a model for others? If successful, is the project likely to lead to education reform? Is the product(s) and/or result(s) likely to provide a significant contribution to the advancement of higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? Are partner(s) and/or collaborator(s) committed to utilize the product(s) and/or result(s)?

Program Application Materials

An application kit containing program

application materials will be made

available to eligible institutions upon

request. These materials include the

Administrative Provisions, forms,

instructions, and other relevant

information needed to prepare and

submit grant applications. Copies of the

application kit may be requested from

Proposal Services Unit; Grants

Management Branch; Office of

Extramural Programs; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture;

STOP 2245; 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250–

2245. The telephone number is (202)

401–5048. When contacting the

Proposal Services Unit, please indicate

that you are requesting an application

kit for the FY 1998 Challenge Grants

Program.

Application materials may also be

requested via Internet by sending a

message with your name, mailing

address (not e-mail), and telephone

number to psb@reeusda.gov that states

that you wish to receive a copy of the

application kit for the FY 1998

Challenge Grants Program. The

materials will then be mailed to you

(not e-mailed) as quickly as possible.

When and Where To Submit Proposals

An original and seven (7) copies of a

proposal must be submitted. Each copy

of the proposal must be stapled securely

in the upper left-hand corner (DO NOT

BIND). All copies of the proposal must

be submitted in one package. Proposals

submitted through the mail must be

received on or by February 23, 1998.

Proposals submitted through the U.S.

mail should be sent to the following

address: Challenge Grants Program;

Proposal Services Unit; Grants

Management Branch; Office of

Extramural Programs; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture;

STOP 2245; 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250–

2245. The telephone number is (202)

401–5048. Hand-delivered proposals

(brought in person by the applicant or

through a courier service) must be

delivered on or by February 23, 1998, at

the following address: Challenge Grants

Program; c/o Proposal Services Unit;

Grants Management Branch; Office of

Extramural Programs; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture;

Room 303, Aerospace Center; 901 D

Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20024.

Proposals transmitted via a facsimile

(fax) machine will not be accepted.

Intent To Submit a Proposal

For the FY 1998 competition, Form

CSREES–711, ‘‘Intent to Submit a

Proposal,’’ is requested for the Higher

Education Challenge Grants Program

and is due January 22, 1998. Send Form

CSREES–711 to Higher Education

Programs; Mail Stop 2251; USDA; 1400

Independence Avenue, SW;

Washington, DC 20250–2251. Form

CSREES–711 also may be faxed to the

Higher Education Programs office at

(202) 720–2030.

Program Contacts

The Higher Education Challenge

Grants Program is managed by the

CSREES Higher Education Programs

office. For further information

concerning the FY 1998 program,

contact Dr. Howard Sandberg, National

Program Leader for Agricultural

Sciences Education, CSREES, USDA, at

(202) 720-1973; or via the Internet at:

hsandberg@reeusda.gov.

Done at Washington, D.C., this 3rd day of

December 1997.

Colien Hefferan,

Administrator, Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service.

[FR Doc. 97–32246 Filed 12–8–97; 8:45 am]

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