2576 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices

budget guidelines and formatting

instructions.

Review Process

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 be reviewed by

the Agency contracts office, as well as

the USIA Office of EEN and USIS

Moscow. For the review of a proposal to

be successful, it will need to receive

positive assessments by USIA’s

geographic desk officers and overseas

officers. Proposals may also be reviewed

by the Office of the General Counsel or

by other Agency elements. Final

funding decisions rest with the USIA

Associate Director for Educational and

Cultural Affairs. Final technical

authority for assistance awards (grants

or cooperative agreements) resides with

an Agency grants officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below.

1. Quality of the program idea:

Proposals should exhibit originality,

substance, precision, relevance to

Agency mission, and responsiveness to

the objectives and guidelines stated in

this solicitation. Proposals should

demonstrate geographic and substantive

expertise.

2. Program planning: Detailed agenda

and relevant work plan should

demonstrate substantive undertakings

and logistical capacity and should

adhere to the program overview and

guidelines described above. Proposals

should include a plan for continuous

and summative evaluations.

3. Ability to achieve program

objectives: Objectives should be

reasonable, feasible, and flexible.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate

how the institution will meet program

objectives and how continuous

evaluation will be used to adjust

program plans.

4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed

programs should strengthen long-term

mutual understanding, including

maximum sharing of information and

establishment of long-term institutional

and individual linkages.

5. Support of Diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate a commitment to

promoting the awareness and

understanding of diversity with regard

to both program content and program

administration.

6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed

personnel and institutional resources

should be adequate and appropriate to

achieve the program or project’s goals.

7. Institutional’s Record/Ability:

Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of successful

exchange programs, including

responsible fiscal management and full

compliance with all reporting

requirements for past Agency grants as

determined by USIA’s Office of

Contracts. The Agency will consider the

past performance of prior recipients and

the demonstrated potential of new

applicants.

8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals

should provide a plan for continued

follow-on activity (without USIA

support) which ensures that USIA

supported programs are not isolated

events.

9. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead

and administrative components of the

proposal, including salaries and

honoraria, should be kept as low as

possible. All other items should be

necessary and appropriate.

10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should

maximize cost-sharing through other

private sector support as well as

institutional direct funding

contributions.

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: January 19, 1996.

John P. Loiello,

Associate Director, Bureau of Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 96–1290 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

Summer Institute for Russian

University Educators on International

Politics

ACTION: Notice—Request for Proposals.

SUMMARY: The Advising, Teaching, and

Specialized Programs Division of the

Office of Academic Programs in the

United States Information Agency’s

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs announces an open competition

for an assistance award. Public and

private non-profit organizations meeting

the provisions described in IRS

regulations 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3) –1 may

apply to develop a six-week graduate

level program designed for a group of

ten Russian university educators on the

subject of contemporary international

politics. The primary purpose of the

institute is to provide participants with

a frame work for an understanding of

the field that will in turn enable them

to develop programs and courses in

their 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 fields

directly related to the study of

international relations and 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 the

field related to the topic of the institute.

Staff escorts traveling under the USIA

cooperative agreement 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 the 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.’’

The funding authority for the program

cited above is provided through the

Freedom Support Act (FSA). 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.
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices 2577

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All

communications with USIA concerning

this announcement should refer to the

above title and reference number E/AS–

96–02.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies

must be received at the U.S. Information

Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time

on Monday, March 25, 1996. Faxed

documents will not be accepted, nor

will documents postmarked March 25,

but received at a later date. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to

ensure that proposals are received by

the above deadline. Tentative

approximate program dates are August

5, 1996 through September 16, 1996. In

order to assure adequate time for the

host institution to make program

arrangements and send pre-program

materials to grantees, USIA will make

every effort to award the approved

cooperative agreement by May 13, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The

Office of Academic Programs, Advising,

Teaching and Specialized Programs

Division, E/AS, Room 349, U.S.

Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW,

Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone

number 202–619–6038; fax number

202–619–6970; internet address

shayman@usia.gov, to request an

Application Package containing more

detailed award criteria, required

application forms, and standard

guidelines for preparing proposals,

including specific criteria for

preparation of the proposal budget.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE

VIA INTERNET: 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.’’

Please specify USIA Program

Specialist Sherry Hayman on all

inquiries and correspondences.

Interested applicants should read the

complete Federal Register

announcement before sending inquiries

or submitting proposals. Once the RFP

deadline has passed, Agency staff may

not discuss this competition in any way

with applicants until the Bureau

proposal review process has been

completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all

instructions given in the Solicitation

Package. The original and 10 copies of

the application should be sent to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/AS–96–02,

Office of Grants Management, E/XE,

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

Washington, D.C. 10547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the 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. USIA will

transmit these files electronically to

USIS Moscow for review, with the goal

of reducing the time it takes to obtain

comments for the Agency’s grant review

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 of

American political, social, and cultural

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 purpose of the Summer Institute

for Russian Educators on International

Politics is to enable the participants to

gain a deeper understanding of U.S.

academic teaching and research about

international politics. The Institute

seeks to provide participants with an

understanding of the contending

approaches to the subject in order to

enable the participants to initiate and

develop programs for the study of

international politics at their home

institutions. Accordingly, the successful

proposal will offer a survey of the

principal theoretical models for the

study of international politics, giving

attention to how the disciplines of law,

politics, and history contribute to such

study; will explore the current debates

within the field of international politics,

with particular attention to those issues

related to the realignment in the

international system in the post-Cold

War era; and, finally, will provide

participants with access to the key

bibliographic, monographic and

reference materials on which to build

courses of their own. Close attention

should be paid to providing source

materials, bibliographies and computer

resources. The Institute should enable

the participants to apply a wide range

of curricular materials, scholarly

approaches, teaching techniques,

information about the internet, and

other resources to their classrooms in

Russia.

The Institute should be six weeks in

length and should take place on a U.S.

college or university campus where

participants will have access to libraries

and computer networks as well as an

opportunity to become acquainted with

university teaching practices in the U.S.

At the beginning of the program the

participants should receive an initial

orientation to the U.S. and to American

university life in addition to an

introduction to current trends in

teaching and research about

international politics. The program

should provide the participants with

opportunities to explore these issues

with U.S. scholars and to observe

international politics classes that are in

session. The program should focus on

engaging the participants in active ways

that will aid them in designing new

approaches to their own teaching and

research. The institute should foster a

collegial atmosphere in which institute

faculty and participants discuss relevant

texts, issues and concepts and should be

structured to require participants to

make presentations, write reports, and

prepare drafts.

At the conclusion of the Institute each

participant should be required to

present a report on his or her thoughts

about how to adapt the approaches and

interests of U.S. international politics

specialists to teaching and research in

Russia.

Objectives

(1) To conduct an intensive,

academically stimulating program that

presents an in-depth view of the

contending theories of international

politics, including the principal schools,

approaches, an models that constitute

the field and which define debate and

discussion among leading scholars in

the field; (2) to examine how the end of

the Cold War has influenced the study

of international politics, with particular

reference to U.S.-Russia relations as

well as East-West relations more

generally; (3) to provide direct access to

bibliographic, reference and other

scholarly materials that will enable

visiting Russian scholars to establish a

framework for the study of international

politics at their home institutions.

Participants

The program should be designed for

ten Russian university educators who

are currently teaching courses in

international relations but who, despite

significant knowledge of Western

political and historical traditions, are

less familiar with current approaches to

teaching or research about international
2578 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices

politics in the U.S. The participants will

be nominated by the United States

Information Service (USIS) in Moscow

and will have a high level of fluency in

English.

Guidelines

The Institute should be specifically

designed for experienced Russian

university educators. 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 Russian 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 foreign policy institutes,

think tanks, lobbying organizations,

embassies, consulates, international

development organizations, media, or

government, as appropriate. 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.

The best proposals will express a high

level of thematic articulation in addition

to demonstrating clearly the means by

which these themes will be concretely

communicated to participants for

discussion and reflection. 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 research and reading.

The Institute should provide access to

leading American scholars and research

resources (libraries, archives, databases);

provisions should 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, primary and

secondary literature, curricular

materials and teaching resources,

including Internet and computer

training, that will allow them to

continue their use of such materials in

Russia.

A residential program of a minimum

of five weeks on a college or university

campus is mandatory. Any study tour

segment must be directly supportive of

the academic program content.

Details of programs may be modified

in consultation with USIA following the

grant award.

The selected grant organization will

be responsible for most arrangements

associated with this program. This

includes the organization and

implementation of all presentations and

program activities, arrangements for all

domestic and international travel,

lodging, subsistence, and group

transportation for participants,

orientation and briefing of 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. cosponsors 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. Please refer to program

specific guidelines (POGI) in the

Solicitation Package for further details.

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

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive line item budget for the

entire program based on the specific

guidance in the Solicitation Package.

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. The total USIAfunded budget award may not exceed

$125,000. USIA-funded administrative

costs should be as low as possible and

should not exceed $37,000 or 30%,

whichever is less. The recipient

organization should try to maximize

cost-sharing and to stimulate U.S.

private sector (foundation and

corporate) support.

The program should include a book

budget for participants to use in

purchasing books and teaching

materials which they will need to

develop new courses and to improve

existing ones.

Allowable costs for the program

include the following:

(1) books, teaching materials and

computer software

(2) mailing allowances.

(3) travel and per diem.

(4) salaries, fringe benefits.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Review Process

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 Office and USIS

Moscow as 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 following criteria:

1. Quality of the Program Idea:

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 field.

2. Program Planning: A detailed

agenda and a relevant work plan should

demonstrate substantive undertakings

and logistical capacity. The agenda and

work plan should adhere to the program

overview and guidelines described

above.

3. Ability to achieve program

objectives: Objectives should be
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 1996 / Notices 2579

reasonable, feasible, and flexible.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate

how the institution will meet the

program’s objectives and plan. The

proposals should indicate evidence of

continuous on-site administrative and

managerial capacity.

4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed

programs should strengthen long-term

mutual understanding, including

maximum sharing of information and

establishment of long-term institutional

and individual connections.

5. Support of Diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate substantive support

of the Bureau’s policy on diversity.

Achievable and relevant features should

be cited in both program administration

and program content (orientation and

wrap-up sessions, program meetings,

resource materials and follow-up

activities).

6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed

personnel and institutional resources

should be adequate and appropriate to

achieve the project’s goals.

7. Institution’s Record/Ability:

Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of successful

exchange programs, including

responsible fiscal management and full

compliance with all reporting

requirements for past Agency grants as

determined by USIA’s Office of

Contracts. The Agency will consider the

past performance of prior recipients and

the demonstrated potential of new

applicants.

8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals

should provide a plan for continued

follow-on activity (without USIA

support) which ensures that USIASsupported programs are not isolated

events.

9. Project Evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

activity’s success, both as the activities

unfold and at the end of the program. A

draft survey questionnaire or other

technique plus description of a

methodology to use to link outcomes to

original project objectives is

recommended.

10. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead

and administrative components of the

proposal, including salaries and

honoraria, should be kept as low as

possible. All other items should be

necessary and appropriate.

11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should

maximize cost-sharing through other

private sector support as well as

institutional direct funding

contributions.

12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country

Relations: Proposed projects should

receive positive assessment by USIA’s

geographic area desk and overseas

officers of program need, potential

impact, and significance in the partner

country.

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: January 19, 1996.

John P. Loiello,

Associate Director, Bureau of Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 96–1289 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

U.S. Advisory Commission on Public

Diplomacy Meeting

AGENCY: United States Information

Agency.

ACTION: Notice for the Federal Register.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Advisory

Commission on Public Diplomacy will

meet in Room 600, 301 4th Street, S.W.,

on January 25, 1996 from 9:30 a.m. to

12:00 noon.

The meeting will be closed to the

public from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,

because it will involve discussion of

classified information relating to public

diplomacy and the Bosnian peace

process. The Commission will meet

with USNATO Public Affairs Officer

Mary Ellen Connell; Dr. Mary McIntosh,

Director, Office of European Research,

USIA; Mr. Bud Jacobs, Deputy Director,

Office of East European and NIS Affairs,

USIA; and Col. Daniel C. Deflin, Chief

of Psychological Operations and Civil

Affairs, The Joint Staff (5 U.S.C.

552b(c)(1)).

The 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. portion

of the Commission’s meeting will be

open to the public and will involve

discussion of the U.S. Information

Agency’s budget with USIA’s

Comptroller Stanley Silverman.

Please call Betty Hayes, (202) 619–

4468, for further information.

Dated: January 22, 1996.

Joseph Duffey,

Director.

Determination To Close a Portion of the U.S.

Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy’s

Meeting of January 25, 1996

Based on the information provided to the

United States Information Agency by the

United States Advisory Commission on

Public Diplomacy, I hereby determine that

the meeting scheduled by the Commission

for January 25, 1996 may be closed to the

public from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Commission has requested that its

January 25 meeting be closed from 9:30 a.m.

to 11:30 a.m., because it will involve

discussion of classified information relating

to public diplomacy and the Bosnian peace

process. The Commission will meet with

USNATO Public Affairs Officer Mary Ellen

Connell; Dr. Mary McIntosh, Director, Office

of European Research, USIA; Mr. Bud Jacobs,

Deputy Director, Office of East European and

NIS Affairs, USIA; Col. Daniel C. Devlin,

Chief of Psychological Operations and Civil

Affairs, The Joint Staff (5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1)).

The 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. portion of the

Commission’s meeting will be open to the

public and will involve discussion of the

U.S. Information Agency’s budget with

USIA’s Comptroller Stanley Silverman.

Dated: January 22, 1996.

Joseph Duffey,

Director.

[FR Doc. 96–1336 Filed 1–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M