Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/06/13/2016-13933/applications-for-new-awards-undergraduate-international-studies-and-foreign-language-program
Timestamp: 2020-04-10 02:05:43
Document Index: 467315079

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 75', 'art 180', 'art 3485', 'art 200', 'art 3474', 'arts 655']

A Notice by the Education Department on 06/13/2016
38153-38159 (7 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2016-13933 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2016-13933
Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) Program.
Applications Available: June 13, 2016.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2016.
Priorities: This notice contains two competitive preference priorities and two invitational priorities. Competitive Preference Priority 1 is from the notice of final priority, published in the Federal Register on June 11, 2014 (79 FR 33432). Competitive Preference Priority 2 is from 34 CFR 658.35(a).
Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2016, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an additional two or three points depending on whether and how an application meets Competitive Preference Priority 1, and we award up to an additional two points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2.
Competitive Preference Priority 1. (2 or 3 points)
We will award either two or three points to an application that meets this priority. If an MSI or community college is a single applicant, or the lead applicant in a consortium or partnership, the application will receive three additional points. If an MSI or community college is a member of a consortium or partnership, but not the lead applicant, the application will receive two additional points. No application will receive more than three additional points for this priority.
You may view lists of title III- and title V-eligible institutions at the following link: https://www2.ed.gov/​about/​offices/​list/​ope/​idues/​t3t5-eligibles-2015.pdf. The eligibility status is still current for institutions listed at the link above. You may also view the list of Historically Black Colleges and Universities at 34 CFR 608.2.
Competitive Preference Priority 2. (2 points)
Applications from an institution of higher education (IHE), a consortium of institutions of higher education (consortium), or a partnership between nonprofit educational organizations and IHEs (partnership) that require entering students to have successfully completed at least two years of secondary school foreign language instruction or that require each graduating student to earn two years of postsecondary credit in a Start Printed Page 38154foreign language (or have demonstrated equivalent competence in the foreign language) or, in the case of a two-year degree granting institution, offer two years of postsecondary credit in a foreign language.
Invitational Priorities: For FY 2016, these priorities are invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
Invitational Priority 1—Priority Languages Selected from the U.S. Department of Education's List of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs).
Applications that propose programs or activities focused on language instruction or the development of area or international studies programs to include language instruction in any of the 78 priority languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education's list of LCTLs: Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), Berber (all languages), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur/Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
Area of National Need: In accordance with section 601(c) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1121(c)), the Secretary has consulted with and received recommendations regarding national need for expertise in foreign languages and world regions from the head officials of a wide range of Federal agencies. The Secretary has taken these recommendations into account, and a list of foreign languages and world regions identified by the Secretary as areas of national need may be found on the following Web site: http://www2.ed.gov/​about/​offices/​list/​ope/​iegps/​consultation-2016.pdf.
Applicants that create innovative curricula that combine the teaching of international studies with one of the following academic fields of study: business, economics, public health, international and comparative education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Programs can be located within the applicant's home IHE or within the IHE(s) that form(s) part of the consortium/partnership applying for the grant (including those that are eligible to receive assistance under part A or B of title III or under title V).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 34 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 34 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations in 34 CFR parts 655 and 658. (e) The notice of final priority, published in the Federal Register on June 11, 2014 (79 FR 33432).
For single applicant grants: $70,000-$95,000 each 12-month budget period.
For consortia or partnership grants: $90,000-$150,000 each 12-month budget period.
For single applicant grants: $86,824.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application from a single applicant that proposes a budget exceeding $95,000 for a single budget period of 12 months, or from an applicant that is a consortium or partnership that proposes a budget exceeding $150,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program has a matching requirement under section 604(a)(3) of the HEA, 20 U.S.C. 1124(a)(3), and the regulations for this program in 34 CFR 658.41. UISFL Program grantees must provide matching funds in either of the following ways: (i) Cash contributions from private sector corporations or foundations equal to one-third of the total project costs; or (ii) a combination of institutional and non-institutional cash or in-kind contributions including State and private sector corporation or foundation contributions, equal to one-half of the total project costs. The Secretary may waive or reduce the required matching share for institutions that are eligible to receive assistance under part A or part B of title III or under title V of the HEA that have submitted an application that demonstrates a need for a waiver or reduction.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program as follows: CFDA number 84.016A.Start Printed Page 38155
Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours before you can access the information in, and submit an application through, Grants.gov.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as Start Printed Page 38156described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
Once your application is successfully validated by Grants.gov, the Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you an email with a unique a PR/Award number for your application.
The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only to the unavailability Start Printed Page 38157of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Tanyelle Richardson, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW., Room 3E211, Washington, DC 20202-4260. FAX: (202) 453-5780.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and three copies of your application, by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.016A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 658.31, 658.32, 658.33, and 655.32 and are listed in this section. The maximum score for all of the criteria, including the competitive preference priorities, is 105 points.
All Applications. All applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: (a) Plan of operation (15 points); (b) Quality of key personnel (10 points); (c) Budget and cost effectiveness (10 points); and (d) Adequacy of resources (5 points).
Applications from IHEs, Consortia, or Partnerships. All applications submitted by an IHE or a consortia or partnership will also be evaluated based on the following criteria: (e) Commitment to international studies (15 points); (f) Elements of the proposed international studies program (10 points); and (g) Need for and prospective results of the proposed program (15 points).
The evaluation plan will be scored separately as described in the Review and Selection Process section of this notice.
Additional information regarding these criteria is in the application package for this program. The total number of points available under these selection criteria, combined with the competitive preference priorities, is as follows:Start Printed Page 38158
(c) Budget & Cost Effectiveness 10 10 10
(d) Adequacy of Resources 5 5 5
(e) Commitment to International Studies 15 15 n/a
(f) Elements of Proposed International Studies Program 10 10 n/a
(g) Need for & Prospective Results of Proposed Program 15 15 n/a
(h) Need for & Potential Impact of the Proposed Project in Improving International Studies & the Study of Modern Foreign Languages at the Undergraduate Level n/a n/a 40
Sub-Total 85 85 80
(i) Evaluation Plan 20 20 20
For the UISFL grant applications, the Department will use a two-tier review process to review and score eligible applications. Under the first—tier review, content reviewers will review and score eligible applications on the following selection criteria: (a) Plan of operation; (b) Quality of key personnel; (c) Budget and cost effectiveness; (d) Adequacy of resources; (e) Commitment to international studies; (f) Elements of the proposed international studies program; (g) Need for and prospective results of the proposed program as applicable; as well as (h) Need for and potential impact of the proposed project in improving international studies and the study of modern foreign languages at the undergraduate level, if the applicant is from a public or private nonprofit agency or organization. These reviewers will also review and score the applications that address the competitive preference priorities. Under the second-tier review, the top 60 ranked applications from the first tier will have the remaining criterion, Evaluation plan, reviewed and scored by a different panel of peer reviewers with evaluation expertise. Evaluation peer reviewers will be responsible for assessing the feasibility of evaluation plans and the proposed performance measure form (PMF). The PMF includes the Project Goals, Performance Measures, and Activities that all applicants must submit to demonstrate how their projects' performance will be assessed. Both tier scores will then be combined and the combined score will be used to rank the top-scoring applications.
(F) An explanation of how the activities funded by the grant will reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views, and generate debate on world regions and international affairs, where applicable; and
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to access an electronic Start Printed Page 38159version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, also.
(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as specified by the Secretary. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the online data and reporting system, the International Resource Information System (IRIS), to complete their interim and final reports. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/​fund/​grant/​apply/​appforms/​appforms.html.
If funded, you will be required to collect and report data in IRIS on those measures and steps taken toward improving performance on those outcomes. Consequently, applicants are advised to include these outcomes in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of their proposed projects. Their measurement should be a part of the proposed project evaluation plan, along with measures of progress and on the goals and objectives specific to your project.
The information provided by grantees in their performance reports submitted via IRIS will be the source of data for these performance measures.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: whether a grantee has made substantial progress toward meeting the goals and objectives of the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the performance targets in the grantee's approved application.
For Further Information Contact: Tanyelle Richardson, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave, SW., room 3E211, Washington, DC 20202-4260. Telephone: (202) 453-6391 or by email: tanyelle.richardson@ed.gov.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Innovation, Delegated the Duties of Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2016-13933 Filed 6-10-16; 8:45 am]