28028 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 98 /Thursday, May 21, 1998 / Notices

‘‘in carrying out programs of

educational and cultural exchange in

countries whose people do not fully

enjoy freedom and democracy’’, USIA

‘‘shall take appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Proposals should account for

advancement of this goal in their

program contents, to the full extent

deemed feasible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Guidelines

The College and University

Partnership Program for Russian

Regional Investment Initiative in

Samara Oblast is limited to the

following specific academic disciplines:

(1) Public administration—the

Russian partner for this partnership

must be Samara State Aerospace

University’s International Marketing

Institute and the focus should be on

developing training programs for civil

servants;

(2) Business education—the Russian

partner for this partnership must be the

Togliatti Academy of Business and

Banking.

Proposals must focus on curriculum,

faculty, and staff development in one of

these eligible disciplines.

Administrative reform at the Russian

partner should also be a project

component.

Projects should involve the

development of new academic programs

or the building and/or restructuring of

an existing program or programs, and

should promote higher education’s role

in the transition to market economies

and open democratic systems.

Feasibility studies to plan partnerships

will not be considered.

Whenever feasible, participants

should make their training and

personnel resources, as well as results of

their collaborative research, available to

government, NGOs, and business.

Participating institutions should

exchange faculty and/or staff members

for teaching/lecturing and consulting.

U.S. institutions are responsible for

the submission of proposals and should

collaborate with their foreign partners in

planning and preparing proposals. U.S.

and foreign partner institutions are

encouraged to consult about the

proposed project with USIA E/ASU staff

in Washington, DC. Preference will be

given to proposals which demonstrate

evidence of previous relations with the

foreign partner institution(s).

Guidelines

U.S. Partner and Participant Eligibility

In the U.S., participation in the

program is open to accredited two- and

four-year colleges and universities,

including graduate schools.

Applications from consortia of U.S.

colleges and universities are eligible.

Applications from non-profit service

and professional organizations or nongovernmental organizations proposing

to facilitate a partnership between a U.S.

university and a foreign partner are also

eligible. The lead U.S. institution in the

consortium is responsible for submitting

the application and each application

from a consortium must document the

lead school’s stated authority to

represent the consortium. Participants

representing the U.S. institution who

are traveling under USIA grant funds

must be faculty, staff, or advanced

graduate students from the participating

institution(s) and must be citizens.

Foreign Partner and Participant

Eligibility

Overseas, participation is limited to

the following institutions:

Samara State Aerospace University’s

International Marketing Institute—in the

field of public administration; Togliatti

Academy of Business and Banking—in

the field of business education.

Participants represenitng the foreign

institutions must be faculty, staff or

advanced students of the partner

institution, and be citizens, nationals, or

permanent residents of the country of

the foreign partner, and be qualified to

hold a valid passport and U.S. J–1 visa.

Ineligibility

A proposal will be deemed

technically ineligible if:

(1) It does not fully adhere to the

guidelines established herein and in the

Solicitation Package;

(2) It is not received by the deadline;

(3) It is not submitted by the U.S.

partner;

(4) One of the partner institutions is

ineligible;

(5) The academic discipline(s) is/are

not listed as eligible in the RFP, herein;

(6) The amount requested of USIA

exceeds $150,000 for the two-year

project.

Please refer to program-specific

guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation

Package for further details.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Agency reserves the

right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

Dated: May 14, 1998.

Robert L. Earle,

Deputy Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 98–13522 Filed 5–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

Advisory Committee on Women

Veterans, Notice of Meeting

The Department of Veterans Affairs

gives notice under Public Law 92–463

that a meeting of the Advisory

Committee on Women Veterans will be

held on June 16–19, 1998, at the

Department of Veterans Affairs, 810

Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

The purpose of the Committee is to

advise the Secretary of Veterans Affairs

regarding the needs of women veterans

with respect to health care,

rehabilitation, compensation, outreach

and other programs, and activities

administered by the Department of

Veterans Affairs designed to meet such

needs. The Committee will make

recommendations to the Secretary

regarding such activities.

On June 16, 17 and 18, the sessions

will convene from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

and on June 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00

p.m. The Committee will meet in

conference room 230, at VA Central

Office. All sessions will be open to the

public. It will be necessary for those

wishing to attend to contact Ms.

Maryanne Carson, Department of

Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC

(phone 202–273–6193) prior to June 5,

1998. A tentative agenda follows:

Tuesday, June 16, 1998

9:00 am Introduction of new members—

Chair/Vice Chair

9:15 am Opening remarks: Secretary Togo D.

West, Jr.

10:00 am Briefing: Under Secretary for

Benefits

10:30 am Break
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 98 /Thursday, May 21, 1998 / Notices 28029

10:45 am Briefing: Director, Readjustment

Service

11:15 am Briefing: Acting Director, National

Cemetery System

11:45 am Briefing: Veterans Service

Organizations Liaison

12:15 pm Lunch

1:30 pm Briefing: Under Secretary for Health

2:00 pm Briefing: Center for Veterans

Analysis & Statistics

2:30 pm Briefing: DAS for Congressional

Affairs

3:00 pm Break

3:15 pm Briefing: Chief, Network Officer

3:45 pm Briefing: DAS Public Affairs

4:15 pm Advisory Committee on Women

Veterans, Chair/Vice Chair

Wednesday, June 17, 1998

8:00 am Advisory Committee on Women

Veterans, Chair/Vice Chair

8:30 am Report: Women Veterans Health

Status, Dr. Katherine Skinner

9:30 am Briefing: Assistant Secretary

Veteran’s Employment & Training, DOL

10:00 am Briefing: Regional Administrator,

Women’s Bureau, DOL

10:15 am Break

11:00 am Update: Women Veteran Health

Program

11:30 am Update: Persian Gulf Illness &

Research Initiatives on Women

12 noon Lunch

1:00 pm Report: Barriers to Care, Dr. Jessica

Wolfe

1:30 pm Update: Veterans Benefits

Initiatives

2:00 pm Site Visit: Women’s Memorial

Thursday, June 18, 1998

8:30 am

Breakout: Subcommittee Working Groups

Legislative—conference room 732

Health Care—conference room 742

1:00 pm

Executive Session

Reports: Subcommittee Working Groups

Discussion: 1998 Report of Advisory

Committee

Discussion: Network Strategic Plan

Summary 1998–2002

Friday, June 19, 1998

9:00 am

Executive Session

Discussion: Survey of Veterans Report

Discussion: Site Visit fall 1998

Side Visits Reports

Wrap Up

1:00 pm Adjourn

Dated: May 14, 1998.

By Direction of the Secretary.

Heyward Bannister,

Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–13527 Filed 5–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320–01–M