Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 240 / Thursday, December 14, 1995 / Notices 64249

of continuous on-site administrative and

managerial capacity, as well as the

means by which program activities will

be implemented.

8. Cost Effectiveness: The proposals

should maximize cost-sharing through

direct institutional contributions, inkind support, and other private sector

support. Overhead and administrative

components of the proposal, including

salaries and honoraria, should be kept

as low as possible.

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 funding. Final awards

cannot be made until funds have been

appropriated by Congress, allocated and

committed through internal USIA

procedures.

NOTIFICATION: All applicants will be

notified of the results of the review

process on or about April 1, 1996.

Awards made will be subject to periodic

reporting and evaluation requirements.

Dated: December 5, 1995.

Dell Pendergrast,

Deputy Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95–30026 Filed 12–13–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

Summer Institute on the U.S. Political

System: Focus on Federalism

AGENCY: United States Information

Agency.

ACTION: Notice—Request for Proposals.

SUMMARY: The Branch for the Study of

the U.S. of the Office of Academic

Programs of the United States

Information Agency’s Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs

announces an open competition for an

assistance award program for the

Summer Institute on the U.S. Political

System: Focus on Federalism. Public

and private non-profit organizations

meeting the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)–1 may

apply to develop a six-week graduatelevel program designed for a group of 18

foreign university educators from

around the world on the subject of the

U.S. political system, with a focus on

federalism. The purpose of the Institute

is to deepen the participants’

understanding of the foundations,

development, and current functioning of

the U.S. political system by

concentrating particularly on the topic

of federalism; the ultimate goal of the

institute is to improve the teaching of

political science and American

government at the participants’ home

institutions.

USIA is seeking detailed proposals

from colleges, universities, consortia of

colleges and universities, and other notfor-profit academic organizations that

have an established reputation in

political science and related

subdisciplines, and that can

demonstrate expertise in conducting

graduate-level programs for foreign

educators. Applicant institutions must

have a minimum of four years’

experience in conducting international

exchange programs. The project director

or one of the key program staff

responsible for the academic program

must have an advanced degree in

political science or a related discipline.

Staff escorts traveling under the USIA

cooperative agreement support must be

U.S. citizens with demonstrated

qualifications for this service.

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to

enable to Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other countries * * *;

to strengthen the ties which unite us

with other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations. * * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’

Programs and projects must conform

with Agency requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. USIA projects and programs

are subject to the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All

communications with USIA concerning

this announcement should refer to the

above title and reference number E/

AAS–96–05.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies

must be received at the U.S. Information

Agency by 5:00 p.m. Washington D.C.

time on Friday, February 9, 1996. Faxed

documents will not be accepted, nor

will documents postmarked February 9,

1996 but received at a later date. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to

ensure that proposal submissions arrive

by the deadline. Tentative program

dates are June 29 to August 9, 1996.

Participants will likely be booked to

arrive in the U.S. on or about June 28,

and depart on August 10, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request a Solicitation Package, which

includes more detailed award criteria;

all application forms; and guidelines for

preparing proposals, including specific

criteria for preparation of the proposal

budget, applicants should contact: U.S.

Information Agency, Office of Academic

Programs, Branch of the Study of the

United States, E/AAS, Room 256, 301

4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20547, Attn: Program Officer Susan

Zapotoczny; telephone number (202)

619–4557; fax number (202) 619–6790;

internet address szapotoc@usia.gov.

Please specify USIA Program Officer

Susan Zapotoczny on all inquiries and

correspondence. Interested applicants

should read the complete Federal

Register announcement before

addressing inquiries to the office listed

above or submitting their proposals.

Once the RFP deadline has passed,

USIA staff may not discuss this

competition in any way with applicants

until after the Bureau proposal review

process has been completed.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE

VIA INTERNET: The Solicitation Package

may be downloaded from USIA’s

website at http://www.usia.gov or from

the internet Gopher at gopher.usia.gov,

under ‘‘New RFPs on Educational and

Cultural Exchanges.’’

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all

instructions given in the RFP and the

complete Solicitation Package. The

original and 14 copies of the complete

application should be sent to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/AAS–96–

05, Office of Grants Management, E/XE,

Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20547.

Applicants are also requested to

submit the ‘‘Executive Summary’’ and

‘‘Proposal Narrative’’ sections of each

proposal on a 3.5’’ diskette, formatted

for DOS. This material must be provided

in ASCII text (DOS) format with a

maximum line length of 65 characters.

If a proposal is selected for funding,

USIA will transmit these files

electronically to USIS posts overseas to

assist in the program participant

identification process.

DIVERSITY GUIDELINES: Pursuant to the

Bureau’s authorizing legislation,

programs must maintain a non-political

character, and should be balanced and

representative of the diversity and broad

range of responsible views present in

American political, social, and cultural
64250 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 240 / Thursday, December 14, 1995 / Notices

life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be interpreted

in the broadest sense and encompass

differences including, but not limited to

ethnicity, race, gender, religion,

geographic location, socio-economic

status, and physical challenges.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to

adhere to the advancement of this

principle both in program

administration and in program content.

Please refer to the review criteria under

the ‘‘Support for Diversity’’ section for

specific suggestions on incorporating

diversity into the total proposal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Overview:

The ‘‘Summer Institute on the U.S.

Political System: Focus on Federalism’’

is intended to deepen foreign

participants’ understanding of the

theory and practice of federalism as a

central feature of the U.S. political

system. Ultimately, the purpose of the

Institute is to improve the quality of

teaching and curricular materials about

the United States at foreign universities.

The program should be six weeks in

length, including a residency segment at

a U.S. college or university campus (a

minimum of four weeks in length), and

a study tour segment (a maximum of

two weeks in length, including a visit to

Washington, D.C. for a program

debriefing at USIA).

The program should offer participants

a specially-designed series of lectures,

presentations, discussions, and site

visits, each related to the U.S. political

system and/or the topic of federalism.

Objectives

(1) to conduct an intensive,

academically stimulating program that

presents an in-depth view of the history,

development and current status of

federalism as a central feature of the

American political system.

(2) to offer a multi-dimensional view

of federalism that will enable

participants to better understand the

larger complexities of the American

political system as well as other

institutions of American society.

(3) to increase participants’

understanding of American civilization,

past and present, through an integrated

series of lectures, readings, interactive

discussions, research and independent

study opportunities, and site visits.

(4) to enhance teaching about the

United States in foreign universities by

making appropriate scholarly resources,

pedagogical materials, and ideas

available to participants.

Participants: The 18 participants will

be drawn from all areas of the world and

will be experienced in the teaching of

courses in the fields of government and

politics; they may include university

lecturers and scholars, administrators,

department chairs, curriculum

developers and textbook writers who are

currently teaching about the American

political system or who plan to do so.

All participants will be fluent in the

English language. They will be

nominated by U.S. Information Service

posts abroad, and selected by the staff

of USIA’s Branch for the Study of the

United States in Washington, D.C. USIA

will cover all international travel costs

for participants directly.

Guidelines

—The Institute should be specifically

designed for experienced foreign

university level teachers. While it is

important that the topics and readings

of the Institute be clearly organized,

the Institute should not simply

replicate a lecture course or a

graduate seminar. Through a

combination of lectures, roundtable

discussions, guest presentations,

consultations and site visits, the

Institute should facilitate the

development of a collegial

atmosphere in which foreign

participants become fully engaged in

the exchange of ideas.

—In addition to the core faculty from

the host institution, and consistent

with the program’s design, the

Institute should bring in presenters

from outside academic life. Such

individuals might come from nongovernment organizations, think

tanks, lobbying organizations, media,

and all levels of federal, state and

local government. Presenters should

be fully briefed about the Institute, its

goals, general themes, readings, and

especially the background and needs

of the participants themselves.

Information about presenters and how

they will be utilized should be

included in the proposal submission.

—While the overall design and structure

of the Institute is entirely the

responsibility of the organizers, the

Institute should begin by reviewing

the recent history and current status

of scholarship in the discipline of

political science, specifically in the

area of federalism, surveying the

major schools of interpretation and

approaches, and examining the recent

trends and current debates within the

discipline. This part of the program

should also explore how the study of

American federalism has both

informed and been informed by other

scholarly disciplines, e.g., economics

and history, and address how the

study of federalism can be used to

gain a greater understanding of not

only the U.S. political system, but

more broadly, the history and

character of American life and

institutions, past and present. The

latest developments in curriculum

design, teaching methods, and

resources available in the fields of

political science should also be

addressed.

—Because the possibilities for the

design of such an institute, given the

complex nature of the topic, are so

great, the best proposals will express

a high level of thematic articulation,

clearly identify major themes and subthemes, and demonstrate clearly the

means by which these themes will be

concretely communicated to

participants for discussion and

reflection. In this regard, it is

especially important for the institute

organizer to devise ways to integrate

all aspects of the program, from the

assigned readings, lectures, and

discussions, to any site visits and

field trips.

—The equivalent of one day a week

should be available to participants to

pursue individual reading and

research. In addition, the Institute

should provide access to leading

American scholars and research

resources (libraries, archives,

databases). Provision should also be

made to pair participants with faculty

mentors. A key element of the

Institute is to expose participants to

the full range of scholarly materials,

curricular materials and teaching

resources, including internet and

computer training. The summer

institute should facilitate participants’

acquisition of such materials to take

back to their home countries to be

used in their courses and programs.

—A residential program of a minimum

of four weeks on a college or

university campus is mandatory. The

program should include an integrated

study tour segment of up to two

weeks in length to at least one other

region of the country outside the area

of the host institution, plus a trip to

Washington, D.C. to conclude the

institute. During the visit to

Washington, D.C., a half-day session

at the U.S. Information Agency should

be scheduled. In any case, the study

tour segment must directly support

and reinforce the academic program

content. Day trips to various locations

(historical sites, classrooms,

community centers) are also

encouraged if such trips will further

enhance understanding of the U.S.

and the participants’ experience.

—Details of the program may be

modified in consultation with USIA’s

Branch for the Study of the U.S.

following the grant award.

—The selected grant organization will

be responsible for most arrangements
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 240 / Thursday, December 14, 1995 / Notices 64251

associated with this program. This

includes the organization and

implementation of all presentations

and program activities, arrangements

for all domestic travel, lodging,

orientation and briefing or

participants, preparation of any

necessary support materials including

a pre-program mailing and working

with program presenters to achieve

maximum program coordination and

effectiveness.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for further details on program

design and implementation.

Additional Information: Confirmation

letters from U.S. co-sponsors noting

their intention to participate in the

program will enhance a proposal.

Proposals incorporating participant/

observer site visits will be more

competitive if letters committing

prospective host institutions to support

these efforts are provided.

Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements:

Programs must comply with J–1 visa

regulations. Visas will be issued by

USIS posts abroad. USIA insurance will

be provided to all participants, unless

otherwise indicated in the proposal

submission. Grantee organization will

be responsible for enrolling participants

in the chosen insurance plan. Please

indicate in the proposal if host

institutions have any special tax

withholding requirements on

participant or staff escort stipends or

allowances.

Proposed Budget: Total USIA-funded

budget award may not exceed $157,000.

USIA-funded administrative costs

should be as low as possible and should

not exceed $47,000. The U.S. recipient

should try to maximize cost-sharing in

all facets of the program and to

stimulate U.S. private sector (foundation

and corporate) support. Applicants must

submit a comprehensive budget for the

entire program. There must be a

summary budget as well as a breakdown reflecting both the administrative

budget and the program budget. For

better understanding or further

clarification, applicants may provide

separate sub-budgets for each program

component, phase, location, or activity

in order to facilitate (USIA decisions on

funding. Please refer to the ‘‘POGI’’ in

the Solicitation Package for complete

budget guidelines and formatting

instructions for the Institute program.

REVIEW PROCESS: The USIA will

acknowledge receipt of all proposals

and will review them for technical

eligibility. Proposals will be deemed

ineligible if they do not fully adhere to

the guidelines stated herein and in the

Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals

will be forwarded to panels of USIA

officers for advisory review. All eligible

proposals will also be reviewed by the

Agency contracts office, as well as the

USIA Area Offices and the USIA post

overseas, where appropriate. Proposals

may also be reviewed by the Office of

the General Counsel or by other Agency

elements. Funding decisions are at the

discretion of the USIA Associate

Director for Educational and Cultural

Affairs. Final technical authority for

assistance awards (grants or cooperative

agreements) resides with the USIA

grants officer.

REVIEW CRITERIA: Technically eligible

applications will be competitively

reviewed according to the criteria stated

below. These criteria are not rank

ordered, and all carry equal weight in

the proposal evaluation:

1. Overall Quality: Proposals should

exhibit originality and substance,

consonant with the highest standards of

American teaching and scholarship.

Program design should reflect the main

currents as well as the contemporary

debates within the discipline.

2. Program Planning: Proposals

should demonstrate careful planning.

The organization and structure of the

Institute should be clearly delineated

and be fully responsive to all program

objectives. The travel component should

be an integral and substantive part of

the program, reinforcing and

complementing its academic segment.

3. Institutional Capacity: Proposed

personnel, including faculty and

administrative staff as well as outside

presenters, should be fully qualified to

achieve the project’s goals. Library and

media resources should be accessible to

participants; housing, transportation

and other logistical arrangements

should be fully adequate to the needs of

participants and should be conductive

to a collegial atmosphere.

4. Diversity: Proposals should

demonstrate the recipient’s commitment

to promoting the awareness and

understanding of diversity throughout

the program. This can be accomplished

through documentation, such as a

written statement, summarizing past

and/or ongoing activities and efforts that

further the principle of diversity within

the organization and its activities.

Program activities that address this

issue should be highlighted.

5. Experience: The proposal should

demonstrate an institutional record of

successful exchange program activity,

indicating the experience that the

organization and its professional staff

have had in working with foreign

educators.

6. Evaluation and Follow-up: The

proposal should include a plan for

evaluating activities during the Institute

and at its conclusion. Proposals should

comment on provisions made for

follow-up with returned grantees as a

means of establishing longer-term

individual and institutional linkages.

7. Administration and Management:

The proposals should indicate evidence

of continuous on-site administrative and

managerial capacity as well as the

means by which program activities will

be implemented.

8. Cost Effectiveness: The proposals

should maximize cost-sharing through

direct institutional contributions, inkind support, and other private sector

support. Overhead and administrative

components of the proposal, including

salaries and honoraria, should be kept

as low as possible.

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 availability of

funding. Final awards cannot be made

until funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated, and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

NOTIFICATION: All applicants will be

notified of the results of the review

process on or about April 1, 1996.

Awards made will be subject to periodic

reporting and evaluation requirements.

Dated: December 5, 1995.

Dell Pendegrast,

Deputy Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95–30027 Filed 12–13–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M