4048 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2001 / Notices

Dated: January 9, 2001.

Herbert L. Mitchell,

Associate Administrator for Disaster

Assistance.

[FR Doc. 01–1324 Filed 1–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

[Declaration of Disaster #3317]

State of Texas

As a result of the President’s major

disaster declaration on January 8, 2001,

I find that the following Counties in the

State of Texas constitute a disaster area

due to damages caused by a severe

winter ice storm beginning on December

12, 2000 and continuing: Bowie, Cass

and Red River Counties. Applications

for loans for physical damage as a result

of this disaster may be filed until the

close of business on March 9, 2001, and

for loans for economic injury until the

close of business on October 9, 2001 at

the address listed below or other locally

announced locations: U.S. Small

Business Administration, Disaster Area

3 Office, 4400 Amon Carter Blvd., Suite

102, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

In addition, applications for economic

injury loans from small businesses

located in the following contiguous

counties may be filed until the specified

date at the above location: Delta,

Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Marion,

Morris and Titus Counties in Texas;

Caddo County in Louisiana; Choctaw

and McCurtain Counties in Oklahoma.

The interest rates are:

Percent

For Physical Damage:

Homeowners with credit

available elsewhere ......... 7.000

Homeowners without credit

available elsewhere ......... 3.500

Businesses with credit available elsewhere ................. 8.000

Businesses and non-profit

organizations without

credit available elsewhere 4.000

Others (including non-profit

organizations) with credit

available elsewhere ......... 7.000

For Economic Injury:

Businesses and small agricultural cooperatives without credit available elsewhere ............................... 4.000

The number assigned to this disaster

for physical damage is 331711. For

economic injury the numbers are

9K3700 for Texas, 9K3800 for Louisiana,

9K3900 for Oklahoma.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Nos. 59002 and 59008.)

Dated: January 10, 2001.

Herbert L. Mitchell,

Associate Administrator for Disaster

Assistance.

[FR Doc. 01–1323 Filed 1–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8025–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3540]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs Request for Grant Proposals:

Benjamin A. Gilman International

Scholarship Program—International

Academic Opportunity Act of 2000

SUMMARY: The Office of Global

Educational Programs of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs

announces an open competition for the

Benjamin A. Gilman International

Scholarship Program. Public and private

non-profit organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation

26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals

for the purpose of carrying out a

scholarship program for academic study

outside of the United States.

Program Information

This program establishes grants for

U.S. citizen or national undergraduate

students of limited financial means from

the United States to enable such

students to pursue academic studies

abroad. Such foreign study is intended

to better prepare U.S. students to

assume significant roles in an

increasingly global economy.

Overview

This program provides an assistance

award not to exceed $1,500,000 for the

purpose of issuing grants of up to $5,000

to individuals who meet the eligibility

requirements listed below, toward the

cost of up to one academic year of

undergraduate study abroad. Subject to

the availability of funding and to

satisfactory performance of the awardee,

this assistance award may be renewable

for two subsequent fiscal years.

The Presidential Memorandum on

International Education of April 19,

2000 directs the Department of State to

support the efforts of schools and

colleges to improve access to highquality international educational

experiences by increasing the number of

diversity of students who study and

intern abroad. In support of this

Memorandum and pursuant to the

authorizing legislation for the Benjamin

A. Gilman International Scholarship

Program, this program is intended to

broaden the student population that

participates in study outside the U.S. by

focusing on those students who might

not otherwise study abroad due to

financial constraints.

The Presidential Memorandum also

directs the Department to encourage

students and institutions to choose

nontraditional study-abroad locations

and to help underrepresented U.S.

institutions offer and promote studyabroad opportunities for their students.

These secondary objectives should also

be addressed in grant proposals.

Guidelines

The administering organization

should be prepared to solicit

applications immediately upon receipt

of grant notification and to award

scholarships to allow study programs to

begin in the 2001/2002 academic year.

Student Eligibility: To apply for a

scholarship, an applicant must;

(1) Be a student in good standing at

an institution of higher education in the

United States (as defined in section

101(a) of the Higher Education Act of

1965);

(2) Have been accepted for up to one

academic year of study on a program of

study abroad approved for credit by the

student’s home institution;

(3) Be receiving any need-based

student assistance under title IV of the

Higher Education Act of 1965; and

(4) Be a citizen or national of the

United States.

Application and Selection: (1)

Scholarship application and selection

shall be carried out through accredited

institutions of higher education in the

United States or a combination of such

institutions.

(2) In considering applications for

scholarships:

(A) consideration of financial need

shall include the increased costs of

study abroad; and

(B) priority consideration shall be

given to applicants who are receiving

Federal Pell Grants under title of the

Higher Education Act of 1965.

(C) in ranking eligible applicants,

consideration should also be given to

academic excellence, and diversity of

the applicant pool, fields of study,

destinations, and type and location of

home institutions of higher education.

Reporting: The grantee organization

will submit quarterly reports on the

number of applicants, the number of

selectees, the names of the institutions

of higher education in the United States

that applicants and selectees attended at

the time of application, name of

institutions sponsoring the study

program abroad, the names and

locations of the institutions of higher

education outside the United States

which participants attended during