15448 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 56 / Thursday, March 23, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.031A]

Grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions

(HSI) Authorized by Section 316 of Title

III of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of

1965, as Amended

Notice inviting applications for new

awards for fiscal year 1995.

Purpose of Program: Provide grants to

eligible institutions of higher education

to assist them to improve and expand

their capacity to serve Hispanic and

other students.

This grant program provides

applicants an opportunity to support

those elements of the National

Education Goals that are relevant to

their unique missions.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: May 8, 1995.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: June 8, 1995.

Applications Available: The

Department will mail applications by

March 24, 1995, to the office of the

president of all institutions that have

applied to be designated as eligible for

a grant under the Strengthening

Institutions Program.

Available Funds: $12,000,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $300,000

to $350,000 per year.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$325,000 per year.

Estimated Number of Awards: 35

development grants.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: 60 months.

Special Funding Considerations: A

HSI that is eligible for and receives a

grant under section 316 of the HEA may

not concurrently receive funds under

the Strengthening Institutions Program,

the Strengthening Historically Black

Colleges and Universities Program, or

the Strengthening Historically Black

Graduate Institutions Program.

In tie-breaking situations described in

34 CFR 607.23 of the Strengthening

Institutions Program regulations, the

Secretary awards additional points

under 34 CFR 607.22 to an application

from an institution that has an

endowment fund for which the current

market value, per FTE student, is less

than the average per FTE student at

similar type institutions; and has

expenditures for library materials, per

FTE student, that are less than the

average, per FTE student, at similar type

institutions.

For the purposes of these funding

considerations, an applicant must be

able to demonstrate that the current

market value of its endowment fund,

per FTE student, or expenditures for

library materials, per FTE student, is

less than the following national average

for base year 1992–93.

Average

market

value of endowment

fund, per

FTE

Average library expenditures

for materials, per

FTE

Two-year public

institutions ..... $1,222 $41

Two-year nonprofit, private

institutions ..... 12,600 104

Four-year public

institutions ..... 1,862 141

Four-year nonprofit .............. 32,164 239

Applicable Regulations: (a) The

Department of Education General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 85, and

86; and (b) the Strengthening

Institutions Program regulations in 34

CFR Part 607, as amended and

published elsewhere in this issue of the

Federal Register.

Priorities: The Secretary gives an

absolute preference to an application

that contains satisfactory evidence that

the applicant has entered into or will

enter into a collaborative arrangement

with at least one local educational

agency to provide that agency with

assistance, from funds other than grant

funds, in reducing Hispanic dropout

rates, improving Hispanic rates of

academic achievement, and increasing

the rates at which Hispanic high school

graduates enroll in institutions of higher

education.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To be

eligible to receive a grant, an institution

must qualify as an eligible institution

under the Strengthening Institutions

Program and must be determined by the

Secretary to be an HSI. The Secretary

determines that an eligible institution

under the Strengthening Institutions

Program qualifies as an HSI if—(1) when

it applies for a grant, at least 25% of its

enrollment of undergraduate full-time

equivalent students are Hispanic

students; and (2) it assures that not less

than 50% of its Hispanic students are

low-income individuals who are firstgeneration college students, and another

25% of its Hispanic students are either

low-income or first-generation college

students.

The Secretary will conduct for fiscal

years 1995 and 1996 a biennial grant

award competition for grants to HSIs

under section 316 of the HEA. Under a

biennial grant award competition, an

institution submits a grant application

that may be considered for funding

under two successive fiscal year grant

award competitions. Applications are

evaluated and ranked by field readers

for the first competition. If the

institution’s application is not selected

for funding under the first fiscal year’s

award competition, it will be considered

for funding under the second fiscal

year’s award competition for new

awards, based upon the score it received

in the first competition. As part of the

plan, the Secretary will not invite

applications for new awards for the

second fiscal year. Accordingly, if an

HSI wishes to apply for a new grant

award for fiscal year 1995 or fiscal year

1996, the HSI must submit an

application by the closing date of May

8, 1995. The applicant should identify

the fiscal year (1995 and/or 1996) for

which it seeks funding.

The Secretary will not make awards

for planning grants under this

competition.

For Applications or Information

Contact: Jerry M. Whitlock, U.S.

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Portals

Building, Suite 600, Washington, D.C.

20202–5335. Telephone: (202) 708–

9926. 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.

You may view information about the

Department’s funding opportunities,

including copies of application notices

for discretionary grant competitions, on

the Department’s electronic bulletin

board (ED Board), telephone (202) 260–

9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server

at GOPHER.ED.GOV (under

Announcements, Bulletins and Press

releases). However, the official

application notice for a discretionary

grant competition is the notice

published in the Federal Register.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057.

Dated: March 17, 1995.

David A. Longanecker,

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary

Education.

[FR Doc. 95–7274 Filed 3–22–95; 8:45 am]

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