[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2576-2579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1289]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Summer Institute for Russian University Educators on
International Politics
ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.
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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 not-for-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 Fulbright-Hays 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.
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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
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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. co-sponsors 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
USIA-funded 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
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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
USIAS-supported 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
