3492 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 13 / Thursday, January 21, 2010 / Notices 

Programs at the October 29, 2009 

deadline. 

Lisette Voyatzis, 

Attorney-Advisor. 

[FR Doc. 2010–1100 Filed 1–20–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7536–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Comment Request 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request. 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) has submitted the 

following information collection 

requirement to OMB for review and 

clearance under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104– 

13. This is the second notice for public 

comment; the first was published in the 

Federal Register at 74 FR 60300, and 

one comment was received. NSF is 

forwarding the proposed renewal 

submission to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for clearance 

simultaneously with the publication of 

this second notice. The full submission 

may be found at: http:// 

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 

Comments regarding (a) whether the 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; or (d) ways 

to minimize the burden of the collection 

of information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology should be 

addressed to: Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: 

Desk Officer for National Science 

Foundation, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 

10235, Washington, DC 20503, and to 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 

Officer, National Science Foundation, 

4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 295, 

Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send email 

to splimpto@nsf.gov. Comments 

regarding this information collection are 

best assured of having their full effect if 

received within 30 days of this 

notification. Copies of the submission(s) 

may be obtained by calling 703–292– 

7556. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Suzanne H. Plimpton at (703) 292–7556 

or send email to splimpto@nsf.gov. 

Individuals who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, 

Monday through Friday. 

NSF may not conduct or sponsor a 

collection of information unless the 

collection of information displays a 

currently valid OMB control number 

and the agency informs potential 

persons who are to respond to the 

collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

November 20, 2009, we published in the 

Federal Register (74 FR 60300) a 60-day 

notice of our intent to request renewal 

of this information collection authority 

from OMB. In that notice, we solicited 

public comments for 60 days ending 

January 19, 2009. We received one 

comment regarding this notice. 

Comment: One comment was received 

from Roger Clegg, President and General 

Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity: 

‘‘The ADVANCE Program is described as 

‘‘address[ing] the underrepresentation 

and inadequate advancement of 

women,’’ and ‘‘gender equity outcomes,’’ 

for STEM faculty. We hope that the 

Program does not contemplate the use of 

quotas, numerical goals, or other 

discrimination or preferences as ways to 

address underrepresentation (a dubious 

term) or gender equity (likewise 

dubious). Such discrimination and 

preference is presumptively 

unconstitutional when engaged in by 

government, including federal 

government agencies (see Mississippi 

University for Women v. Hogan, 458 

U.S. 718 (1982) (gender discrimination 

requires an ‘‘exceedingly persuasive 

justification’’), and faculty 

discrimination on the basis of sex is 

illegal under Title VII of the 1964 Civil 

Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.’’ 

Response: We responded via email on 

November 30, 2009: Thank you for your 

comment in response to the Federal 

Register notice published November 20, 

2009 ‘‘National Science Foundation 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection, 

Comment Request.’’ The NSF ADVANCE 

program does not use quotas, numerical 

goals, or other discrimination or 

preferences. Further information on the 

ADVANCE program is available at: 

http://www.nsf.gov/advance. 

Title of Collection: Quantitative 

Evaluation of the ADVANCE Program. 

OMB Control No.: 3145–NEW. 

Abstract: The ADVANCE Program 

was established by the National Science 

Foundation in 2001 to address the 

underrepresentation and inadequate 

advancement of women on STEM 

(Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics) faculties at postsecondary 

institutions. The evaluation being 

conducted by Westat focuses on the 

outcomes of two ADVANCE program 

components: (a) The first two (2001 and 

2003) cohorts of Institutional 

Transformation (IT) awardees, and (b) 

both (2002 and 2004) cohorts of 

individuals receiving ADVANCE 

Fellows awards. The study will rely on 

a thorough review of project documents 

and relevant literature; a survey 

(facilitated online via WebEx) and an 

outcome indicator data form 

(distributed and completed 

electronically) for the 19 IT awardee 

institutions; and a mail survey, with 

telephone followup as needed, of all 59 

former Fellows. 

In addition, the study will use data 

from the 2001 and 2008 administrations 

of the Survey of Doctorate Recipients 

(SDR) for comparison purposes. 

The evaluation of the IT component 

has two primary goals: To compare 

selected gender equity outcomes for 

STEM faculty at the 19 IT Cohorts 1 and 

2 institutions and at other similar U.S. 

four-year colleges and universities that 

have not subsequently received 

ADVANCE IT awards, and to develop 

innovative institutional-level measures 

of changes in gender equity climate and 

practices that can be applied to 

evaluating the outcomes of the IT 

award. The primary goal of the Fellows 

evaluation is to compare the career 

trajectories of ADVANCE Fellows with 

those of similar individuals who were 

not awarded these fellowships. 

Respondents: Faculty and staff at 

institutions of higher education and 

individuals holding doctoral degrees in 

STEM fields awarded an NSF 

ADVANCE Fellowship. 

Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 139. 

Burden on the Public: 1,859 hours. 

Dated: January 14, 2010. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2010–1004 Filed 1–20–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 


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