Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices 10549

11 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).

IV. Solicitation of Comments

Interested persons are invited to

submit written data, views and

arguments concerning the foregoing,

including whether the proposed rule is

consistent with the Act. Persons making

written submissions should file six

copies thereof with the Secretary,

Securities and Exchange Commission,

450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC

20549–0609. Copies of the submission,

all subsequent amendments, all written

statements with respect to the proposed

rule change that are filed with the

Commission, and all written statements

with respect to the proposed rule

change that are filed with the

Commission, and all written

communications relating to the

proposed rule change between the

Commission and any person, other than

those that may be withheld from the

public in accordance with the

provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be

available for inspection and copying in

the Commission’s Public Reference

Section. Copies of such filing will also

be available for inspection and copying

at the principal office of the Phlx. All

submissions should refer to file No. SR–

Phlx–01–05 and should be submitted by

March 8, 2001.

For the Commission, by the Division of

Market Regulations, pursuant to delegated

authority.11

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–3801 Filed 2–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3576]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs Project To Develop a Master’s

Degree Program in Business

Administration for Croatia; Request for

Grant Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Global

Educational Programs of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs in the

Department of State announces an open

competition for an assistance award to

support the Consortium of Faculties of

Economics in Croatia as the Consortium

develops a full-time Master’s Degree

program in Business Administration to

be based in the city of Zadar. Core

program instruction for the MBA

program will take place in Zadar during

the second year of the program, once a

curriculum is developed in

collaboration with the Consortium of

Faculties of Economics. Accredited

post-secondary educational institutions

and other organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation

26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals

that address these objectives. The means

for achieving these objectives may

include curriculum development,

faculty training, case study

development, consultation, research,

distance education, internship training

and professional outreach to public and

private sector managers and

entrepreneurs.

Overview and Project Objectives

The project is designed to support the

development of a Master’s Degree

program in Business Administration

(MBA) in English to be based in Zadar,

while also strengthening business

education throughout Croatia. The

Consortium of Faculties of Economics in

Croatia (which includes the Universities

of Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek)

intends to develop core subjects and

specializations. The project will focus

on faculty and curriculum development

for faculty at institutions belonging to

the consortium.

Applicants are encouraged to develop

creative strategies to pursue these

objectives and that reflect an

understanding of the status,

achievements, and current needs of

business education in Croatia.

The project should pursue these

objectives through a strategy that

coordinates the participation of junior

and senior level faculty, administrators,

or graduate students for any appropriate

combination of teaching, research,

mentoring, internships, and outreach,

for exchange visits ranging from one

week to an academic year. Visits of one

semester or longer for participants from

Croatia are strongly encouraged and

program activities must be tied to the

goals and objectives of the project.

If the proposed project would occur

within the context of a previous or

ongoing project, the proposal should

explain how the request for Bureau

funding would build upon the preexisting relationship or complement

previous and concurrent projects, which

must be listed and described with

details about the amounts and sources

of external support. Previous projects

should be described in the proposal,

and the results of the evaluation of

previous cooperative efforts should be

summarized.

The project should pursue these

objectives through a strategy that

coordinates the participation of junior

and senior level faculty, administrators,

or graduate students for any appropriate

combination of teaching, research,

mentoring, internships, and outreach,

for exchange visits ranging from one

week to an academic year. Visits of one

semester or longer for participants from

Croatia are strongly encouraged and

program activities must be tied to the

goals and objectives of the project.

If the proposed project would occur

within the context of a previous or

ongoing project, the proposal should

explain how the request for Bureau

funding would build upon the preexisting relationship or complement

previous and concurrent projects, which

must be listed and described with

details about the amounts and sources

of external support. Previous projects

should be described in the proposal,

and the results of the evaluation of

previous cooperative efforts should be

summarized.

U.S. Institution and Participant

Eligibility

In the United States, participation in

the program is open to accredited two

and four-year colleges and universities,

including graduate schools as well as

other organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation

26 CFR 1.501(c). Applications from

consortia or other combinations of U.S.

colleges and universities are eligible.

The lead U.S. organization in the

consortium or other combination of

cooperating institutions is responsible

for submitting the application. Each

application must document the lead

organization’s authority to represent all

U.S. cooperating partners.

With the exception of outside

consultants reporting on the degree to

which project objectives have been

achieved, participants who are traveling

under the Bureau’s grant funds must be

teachers, advanced graduate students

who are teaching or research assistants,

or administrators from the participating

institution(s). Participants representing

the U.S. institution(s) must be U.S.

citizens. Advanced graduate students

are eligible for Bureau-funded

participation in this program only if

they are working under the direction of

an accompanying faculty participant or

project director on the achievement of

project objectives.

Croatian Institutional and Participant

Eligibility

The Croatian partner is the

Consortium of Faculties of Economics in

Croatia. Secondary foreign partners may

include relevant governmental and nongovernmental organizations, as well as

non-profit service and professional

organizations concerned with the

development of the MBA Program in

Croatia. Foreign participants must be

instructors at a university belonging to

10550 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices

the Consortium of Faculties of

Economics in Croatia and must be

citizens or permanent residents of

Croatia who are eligible to receive a J–

1 visa.

Budget Guidelines

The Bureau anticipates awarding one

grant not to exceed $320,250.

Applicants may submit a budget not to

exceed this amount. Organizations with

less than four years experience in

conducting international exchanges are

limited to $60,000, and are not

encouraged to apply. Budget notes

should carefully justify the amounts

needed. There must be a summary

budget as well as a breakdown reflecting

the program and administrative budgets

including unit costs. Cost sharing will

be considered an important indicator of

institutional commitment.

Funds will be awarded for a period up

to two years to defray the costs of

exchanges, to provide educational

materials, to increase library holdings

and improve Internet connections. Up to

25% of the grant total may be used to

defray the costs of project

administration.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete guidelines and

formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

All correspondence with the Bureau

of Educational and Cultural Affairs

concerning this RFGP should reference

the ‘‘Project to Develop a Master’s

Degree Program in Business

Administration for Croatia’’ and

reference number ECA/A/S/U–01–17.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact the Humphrey Fellowships and

Institutional Linkages Branch, Office of

Global Educational Programs, Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs; ECA/

A/S/U, Room 349, SA–44; U.S.

Department of State, 301 4th Street,

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, phone

(202) 619–5289, fax: (202) 401–1433, email: affiliation@pd.state.gov to request

a Solicitation Package.

The Solicitation Package contains

detailed review criteria, required

application forms, and guidelines for

preparing proposals, including specific

criteria for preparation of the proposal

budget. Please specify the above

reference number on all inquiries and

correspondence.

Please read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau

staff may not discuss this competition

with applicants until the proposal

review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package

Via Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may

be downloaded from the Bureau’s

website at http://exchanges.state.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

Deadline of Proposals

All proposal copies must be received

at the Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington,

D.C. time on Friday, April 27, 2001.

Faxed documents will not be accepted

at any time. Documents postmarked by

the due date but received on a later date

will not be accepted. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to

ensure compliance with the deadline.

Approximate Program Dates

Grants should begin on or about

August 1, 2001.

DURATION: August 1, 2001–August

30, 2003.

Submissions

Applicants must follow all

instructions in the Solicitation Package.

The original and 10 copies of the

application should be sent to: U.S.

Department of State, SA–44, Ref.: ECA/

A/S/U–01–17, Program Management,

ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 301 4th Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20547.

All copies should include the

documents specified under Tabs A

through E in the ‘‘Project Objectives,

Goals, and Implementation’’ (POGI)

section of the Solicitation Package. The

documents under Tab F of the POGI

should be submitted with the original

application and with one of the ten

copies.

Proposals that do not follow RFGP

requirements and the guidelines

appearing in the POGI and PSI may be

excluded from consideration due to

technical ineligibility.

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. The Bureau will

transmit these files electronically to the

Public Affairs Section of the U.S.

Embassy in Zagreb for its advisory

review, with the goal of reducing time

it takes to get the post’s comments for

the Bureau’s grants review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy

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, socioeconomic 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. Public Law 104–319 provides

that ‘‘in carrying out programs of

educational and cultural exchange in

countries whose people do not fully

enjoy freedom and democracy,’’ the

Bureau ‘‘shall take appropriate steps to

provide opportunities for participation

in such programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Public Law 106–113 requires that the

governments of the countries described

above do not have inappropriate

influence in the selection process.

Proposals should reflect advancement of

these goals in their program contents, to

the full extent deemed feasible.

Review Process

The Bureau 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. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the Public

Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in

Zagreb. Eligible proposals will be

subject to review for compliance with

Federal and Bureau regulations and

guidelines and will be forwarded to

Bureau grant panels for advisory review.

Proposals may also be reviewed by the

Office of the Legal Adviser or by other

Department elements. Final funding

decisions are at the discretion of the

Department of State’s Acting Assistant

Secretary for Educational and Cultural

Affairs. Final technical authority for

assistance awards (grants or cooperative

agreements) resides with the Bureau’s

Grants Officer.

Review Criteria

State Department officers in

Washington, D.C. and overseas will use

the criteria below to reach funding

recommendations and decisions.

Technically eligible applications will be

competitively reviewed according to the

criteria stated below. These criteria are

not rank-ordered or weighted.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Notices 10551

1. Broad Significance and Clarity of

Institutional Objectives

Proposals should outline clearly

formulated objectives that relate

specifically to the needs of the

participating institutions. Project

objectives should also have significant

but realistically anticipated ongoing

results for the participating institutions

and demonstrate how these results will

also contribute to the transition in

Croatia to a more transparent, marketoriented economy.

2. Creativity and Feasibility of Strategy

To Achieve Project Objectives

Strategies to achieve project objectives

should demonstrate the feasibility of

doing so during the period of award by

utilizing and reinforcing exchange

activities realistically and with

creativity.

3. Support of Diversity

Proposals should demonstrate

substantive support of the Bureau’s

policy on diversity by explaining how

issues of diversity relate to project

objectives and how these issues will be

addressed during project

implementation. Proposals should also

outline the institutional profile of each

participating institution with regard to

issues of diversity.

4. Institutional Commitment

Proposals should demonstrate

significant understanding of the

institutional needs of the Consortium of

Faculties of Economics in Croatia and of

the U.S. institution’s capacity to address

these needs while also benefiting from

its involvement with the Croatian

partners. Proposals should also

demonstrate a strong commitment,

during and after the period of grant

activity, to cooperate in the pursuit of

institutional objectives.

5. Institutional Record/Ability

Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of administering

successful exchange programs,

including responsible fiscal

management and full compliance with

all reporting requirements for past

Bureau grants as determined by the

State Department’s contracts officers.

The Bureau will consider the past

performance of prior recipients and the

demonstrated potential of new

applicants. Reviewers will also consider

the quality of exchange participants’

academic credentials, skills,

commitment and experience relative to

the goals and activities of the project

plan.

6. Project Evaluation

The proposal should outline a

methodology for determining the degree

to which the project meets its objectives,

both while the project is underway and

at its conclusion. The final project

evaluation should include an external

component and should provide

observations about the project’s

influence within the participating

institutions as well as their surrounding

communities or societies.

7. Cost-Effectiveness

Administrative and program costs

should be reasonable and appropriate

with cost sharing provided as a

reflection of the applicant’s

commitment to the project.

Authority

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 Support

for East European Democracy (SEED)

Act of 1989.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFGP are binding and may not

be modified by any Bureau

representative. Explanatory information

provided by the Bureau that contradicts

published language will not be binding.

Issuance of the RFGP does not

constitute an award commitment on the

part of the Government. The Bureau

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.

Projects must conform with Bureau

requirements and guidelines outlined in

the solicitation Package. The POGI, a

document describing this project’s

objectives, goals, and implementation is

included in the Solicitation Package.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: February 9, 2001.

Helena Kane Finn,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational

and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of

State.

[FR Doc. 01–3878 Filed 2–14–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3571]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs Request for Grant Proposals:

Freedom Support Act Contemporary

Issues Fellowship Program; Notice:

Request for Grant Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Exchange Programs of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

announces an open competition for

administration of the Freedom Support

Act Contemporary Issues Fellowship

Program for the academic year 2001–

2002. Public and private non-profit

organizations meeting the provisions

described in IRS regulation 26 CFR

1.501(c) may submit proposals to

administer recruitment, selection,

placement, monitoring, evaluation and

follow-on activities.

Program Information: The Freedom

Support Act Fellowships in

Contemporary Issues Program selects

highly qualified government officials,

NGO leaders, and other professionals

from the Newly Independent States who

are engaged in the political, economic,

social and educational transformation of

their countries to receive fellowships at

U.S. universities, think tanks, NGOs and

U.S. Government offices. Fellows

conduct research on topics that help

advance the transition to democracy,

free markets and the building of a civil

society in their countries. Fellowships

are for a duration of four months and

include a one-month optional

internship. Fellows are matched with

U.S. host advisors who guide their

research, writing and professional

development.

ECA will award one grant for this

program. Should an applicant

organization wish to work with other

organizations in the implementation of

this program, a subgrant agreement must

be arranged. Programs and projects must

conform with Bureau requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. ECA programs are subject to

the availability of funds. Programs must