[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 223 (Thursday, November 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64316-64318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30648]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Faculty Development and Administrative Training for the American
University in Kyrgyzstan Program; Request for Proposals
SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the United States
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
announces an open competition for an assistance award program. Public
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described
in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to assist the
American University in Kyrgyzstan (AUK) with faculty development and
administrative training.
Program Information
Overview
This program is part of a collaborative effort to support
curriculum and faculty development at the American University in
Kyrgyzstan (AUK). The program will award up to $1,950,000 for a three
year period for faculty development and administrative training for the
American University in Kyrgyzstan. Approximately $300,000 of the total
program budget should be devoted to the administrative training
component, and the rest should be devoted to the faculty development
component and administrative costs. The grantee organization or
organizations will be expected to assist AUK to develop its faculty and
administrative capacity through a comprehensive program of exchange and
support activities.
Objectives
The overall objective of this effort is to support the American
University in Kyrgyzstan in adapting U.S. educational curricula and
practices to meet educational needs in Kyrgyzstan, and in fostering
respect for principles of academic integrity and excellence. This
assistance program will be divided into two parts: a faculty
development component and an administrative training component. The
objective of the faculty development component is to carry out a
comprehensive program of faculty and curriculum development for the
American University in Kyrgyzstan, including collaboration on the
general education program and support in the following targeted fields:
Journalism/Communications, Economic, Psychology, Sociology, American
Studies, International Relations/Political Sciences, and other fields
as needed. Applicants should describe a program of support for the
targeted disciplines as well as an overall view of support for AUK.
Applicants are encouraged to undertake exchange activities within each
discipline in cooperation with one U.S. college or university
department in that discipline in order to ensure program continuity and
to enhance the mutual understanding of the participants. The faculty
development program may take the shape of a series of exchanges between
a U.S. and an AUK department in each targeted field. The exchanges in
the several targeted fields may all be concentrated in one U.S. college
or university; they may be concentrated in institutions in the same
U.S. region; or they may involve several individual departments in
colleges and universities across the U.S. These exchanges should
provide participating AUK junior faculty with the possibility of
earning the master's degree at a U.S. institution. Faculty exchange in
a given discipline with a college department which does not offer the
master's degree is allowable as long as appropriate arrangements can be
made with another U.S. institution for study towards the master's
degree where required. One small to medium sized institution of higher
education may be designated as a model institution for AUK participants
to consider as they adapt to the educational needs of Kyrgyzstan what
they are learning in the U.S The model institution should also
participate in faculty development in one or more of the targeted
disciplines and/or in administrative training for AUK. Site visits to
the model institution by all AUK exchange participants in the U.S. are
encouraged where feasible.
The objective of the administrative training component is to carry
out a comprehensive program of administrative support and training for
AUK. Proposals should plan for training and support in the following
priority areas: admissions, registrar's office (including registration,
records and scheduling), financial aid, finance, accounting and
budgeting, and library collections. Proposals may also plan for support
in the areas of academic advising, student services, public relations,
institutional development, and other services as needed. The goal of
the administrative training exchanges is to facilitate a mentoring
program for AUK administrators with U.S. counterparts through a series
of exchange visits that should include visits to Kyrgyzstan by U.S.
administrators with practical experience in these activities. Proposals
may coordinate the administrative training components with a program of
research on international educational development.
USIA encourages applications from consortia of colleges and
universities or from U.S. partnerships developed for the purposes of
this grant, as well as from any single organization with the capacity
to administer this program. If a lead U.S. institution in a consortium
is responsible for submitting an application on behalf of a consortium,
the application must document the lead school's stated authority to
represent the consortium.
Guidelines
Participants
The project is designed for the following participants: faculty,
administrators, staff and students at
[[Page 64317]]
AUK and at the U.S. colleges or universities identified as partners in
the faculty development and administrative training for AUK;
postdoctoral specialists or doctoral candidates from the U.S. who are
qualified to teach courses at AUK and to train AUK faculty and
students; and other qualified educational and administrative
specialists as appropriate. Applicant organizations do not need to
obtain a letter of commitment from AUK, which has indicated its
interest and commitment directly to USIA.
Logistics
The recipient organization will be responsible for most
arrangements associated with this program. These include providing
international and domestic travel arrangements for all participants,
making lodging and local transportation arrangements for visitors,
orienting and debriefing participants, preparing any necessary support
material, and working with AUK, U.S. host institutions and individual
grantees to achieve maximum program effectiveness.
Visa/Insurance/Tax Requirements
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations, including those
pertaining to insurance. Please refer to Solicitation Package for
further information. Administration of the program must be in
compliance with reporting and withholding regulations for federal,
state and local taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should
demonstrate tax regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and
budget.
Budget Guidelines
Organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting
international exchange programs are ineligible for this grant
competition.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program. There must be a summary budget as well as a breakdown
reflecting the administrative budget, the budget for the faculty
development component, the budget for the administrative training
component, and detailed budgets for each of the three years of the
grant. The total administrative costs funded by USIA may not exceed 20%
of the total request. Approximately $300,000 should be devoted to the
administrative training component. Applicants may provide separate sub-
budgets for each program component, phase, location, or activity to
provide clarification. Please refer to the Solicitation Package for
complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with USIA
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and number E/ASU-
99-07.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office of Academic Programs; Advising, Teaching and Specialized
Programs Division; Specialized Programs Branch, U.S. Information
Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone: (202)
619-4097, fax: (202) 401-1433, internet: seisen@usia.gov to request a
Solicitation Package containing more detailed award criteria, required
application forms, specific budget instructions, and standard
guidelines for proposal preparation. Pleas specify USIA Program Officer
Sam Eisen on all inquiries and correspondence.
Please 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 with applicants
until the proposal review process has been completed.
Contact Information for AUK
Applicants are encouraged to consult with the American University
in Kyrgyzstan while planning their proposals. The primary contact
person at AUK in Martha Merrill, Dean of Faculty and Curriculum
Development:
Martha C. Merrill, c/o USIS-Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Department of
State, Washington, DC 20521-7040, 996-3312-21-37-72 or 21-36-32 phones
at USIS, 996-3312-21-09-48 fax at USIS, E-mail: mmerrill@hotmail.com
Applicants may also contact:
ED Kulakowski, Public Affairs Officer, USIS Bishkek, tel: (996)-3312-
213-632, 213-772, fax: (996)-3312-210-948, e-mail: pao@usis.gov.kg.
To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA'S
website at http://www.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all
information before downloading.
To Receive a Solicitation Package Via Fax on Demand
The entire Solicitation Package may be requested from the Bureau's
``Grants Information Fax on Demand System,'' which is accessed by
calling 202/401-7616. The ``Table of Contents'' listing available
documents and order numbers should be the first order when entering the
system.
Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the
U.S. Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on March 8,
1999. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents
postmarked the due date but received on a later date will not be
accepted. Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by
the above deadline.
Approximate program dates: Grants should begin on or about July 1,
1999.
Duration: July 1, 1999-June 30, 2002.
Submissions
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The original and 8 copies of the application should be sent
to:
U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/ASU-9-07, Office of Grants Management,
E/XE, Room 32,6 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5' diskette, for
matted for DOS. These documents must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review,
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for
the Agency'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, 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. 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,'' USIA ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should reflect
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent
deemed feasible.
[[Page 64318]]
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting
problem that could potentially prohibit organizations from processing
information in accordance with Federal management and program specific
requirements including data exchange with USIA. The inability to
process information in accordance with Federal requirements could
result in grantees' being required to return funds that have not been
accounted for properly.
USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant systems
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust
for leap years.
Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
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. All eligible proposals will be reviewed by the
program office, as well as the USIA Office of East European and NIS
affairs and USIS Bishkek. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to
panels of USIA officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be
reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency
elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of USIA's
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative
agreements) resides with the USIA Grants Officer.
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 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 above is provided through the Freedom for Russia and Emerging
Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1993 (Freedom
Support Act). 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.
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: November 9, 1998.
Judith Siegel,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-30648 Filed 11-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
