§ 649.31 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

The Secretary uses the following criteria to evaluate an application:

(a) Institution-wide criteria—(1) Institutional commitment. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the overall strength of the applicant's commitment to meet the needs of the students who are members of the group or groups to which the institution proposes to give priority in accordance with the requirements of § 649.3(b)(2), including consideration of—

(i) Evidence that the institution's social and academic environment is supportive of the academic success of students who are members of the priority group or groups;

(ii) The availability of other sources of financial aid and support for students who are members of the priority group or groups; and

(iii) The employment of women or individuals who are from minority groups or both, depending on the group or groups to which the institution proposes to give priority, among the administrators and faculty in the institution.

(2) Recruitment plan. (10 points)

(i) The Secretary reviews each application for information that describes the applicant's recruitment plan.

(ii) The Secretary looks for information that shows—

(A) The applicant's active and aggressive efforts, previous and current, to identify and attract qualified students who are members of the group or groups to which the applicant proposes to give priority;

(B) The applicant's previous and current efforts in successfully preparing students who are members of the group or groups to which the applicant proposes to give priority for careers in which members of the group or groups are underrepresented; and

(C) The applicant's success in providing students with access to careers in which women and minority groups are underrepresented.

(3) Adequacy of resources. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the adequacy of the general institutional resources that the applicant plans to devote to the project, including facilities, equipment, and supplies.

(4) Grant management. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the applicant's ability to provide overall administration of the grant, including providing assistance to and oversight of the project director.

(5) Evaluation plan. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the project's evaluation plan, including the extent to which the applicant's evaluation methods—

(i) Relate to the specific goals and measurable objectives of the project;

(ii) Include both process and product evaluation measures that are objective and designed to produce data that are quantifiable; and

(iii) Describe how the applicant will analyze and report the data so that it can make adjustments and improvements on a regular basis.

(b) Academic field criteria—(1) Meeting the purpose of the authorizing statute. (8 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine how well the project will meet the purpose of the authorizing statute, with respect to each academic field, including the extent to which—

(i) The applicant describes the general and specific objectives of the project with respect to each academic field that are realistic and measurable; and

(ii) The objectives of the project, with respect to each academic field, further the purposes of the authorizing statute by assisting in making available the benefits of doctoral education programs to member of the group or groups to which the applicant proposes to give priority.

(2) Extent of need for the project within each academic field. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the project, within each academic field, will meet the specific graduate preparation and career-access needs of the group or groups to which the applicant proposes to give priority, including consideration of—

(i) The needs of the applicant addressed by the project within each academic field;

(ii) How the applicant identified those needs;

(iii) How those needs will be met by the project within each academic field; and

(iv) The benefits to be gained by meeting those needs.

(3) Plan of operation. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the plan of operation for the project, with respect to each academic field, including—

(i) The quality of the design of the project, with respect to each academic field;

(ii) The extent to which the plan of management is effective and ensures proper and efficient administration of the project within each academic field;

(iii) How well the objectives of the project within each academic field relate to the purpose of the program;

(iv) How well the project activities within each academic field are described and the potential of those activities to achieve project objectives in a cost-effective manner;

(v) The quality of the applicant's plan to use its resources and personnel to achieve each objective; and

(vi) How the applicant will ensure that project participants who are otherwise eligible to participate are selected without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disabling condition, except as necessary to implement the priority or priorities established in accordance with the requirements of § 649.3(b)(2).

(4) Quality of the academic program. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the current academic program for each academic field within the project, including—

(i) The course offerings and academic requirements for the academic program; and

(ii) The focus on, and capacity for, research or teaching.

(5) Quality of key personnel. (12 points)

(i) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of key personnel the applicant plans to use on the project, including—

(A) The qualifications of the project director (2 points);

(B) The qualifications of each of the key faculty to be used on the project in each academic field (6 points);

(C) The time that each person referred to in paragraphs (b)(5)(i) (A) and (B) of this section will commit to the project (2 points); and

(D) How the applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment practices, will ensure that its personnel are selected without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disabling condition, except pursuant to a lawful affirmative action plan (2 points).

(ii) To determine personnel qualifications under paragraphs (b)(5)(i) (A) and (B) of this section, the Secretary considers—

(A) Experience and training in areas related to the objectives of the project or the relevant academic field within the project; and

(B) Any other qualifications that pertain to the quality of the project.

(6) Institutional support. (10 points)

(i) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the adequacy of the applicant's plans to provide two years of support for each fellow, immediately following the second year of fellowship support, including at least one year of supervised teaching.

(ii) In reviewing the applicant's plan of support for the fellows, the Secretary considers—

(A) The applicant's financial support for each fellow; and

(B) The applicant's plan for the supervision of each fellow's teaching assignment.

(7) Adequacy of resources. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the adequacy of the resources that the applicant plans to devote to the project, with respect to each academic field, including facilities, equipment, and supplies.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1840-0509)