[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 88 (Friday, May 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24928-24929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-11490]
[[Page 24927]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part VI
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 1999 / Notices
[[Page 24928]]
Department of Education
[CFDA No.: 84.031S]
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1999
Purpose of Program
Provide grants and related assistance to eligible Hispanic-Serving
institutions of higher education to enable them to improve their
academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability and
thereby increase their self-sufficiency and expand their capacity to
serve Hispanic students and other low-income individuals.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 25, 1999.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 25, 1999.
Applications Available: May 10, 1999.
Available Funds: Approximately $16,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $375,000 to $425,000 per year for
development grants.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $392,000 per year for development
grants.
Estimated Number of Awards: 40 development grants.
Project Period: 60 months for development grants.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Statutory Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and Section 511(d)
of the Higher Education Act, as amended (HEA), the Secretary gives an
absolute preference to applications that contain satisfactory evidence
that the Hispanic-Serving institution has entered into or will enter
into a collaborative arrangement with at least one local educational
agency or community-based organization to provide that agency or
organization with assistance (from funds other than funds provided
under Title V of the HEA) in reducing dropout rates for Hispanic
students, improving rates of academic achievement for Hispanic
students, and increasing the rates at which Hispanic secondary school
graduates enroll in higher education. The Secretary will fund under
this competition only applications that meet this priority.
As described under Section 514(b), the Secretary also gives an
absolute preference to grants for cooperative arrangements that are
geographically and economically sound or will benefit the applicant
Hispanic-Serving institution. Only applications that meet this priority
will be funded.
Special Funding Consideration: In tie-breaking situations described
in 34 CFR 607.23 of the Strengthening Institutions Program regulations,
the Secretary awards one additional point to an application from an
institution that has an endowment fund for which the market value in
1996-1997, per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, was less than the
average per FTE student at similar type institutions; and one
additional point to an application from an institution that had
expenditures for library materials in 1996-1997, per FTE student, that
were less than the average per FTE student, at similar type
institutions.
For the purpose of these funding considerations, an applicant must
be able to demonstrate that the market value of its endowment fund per
FTE student, or expenditures for library materials per FTE student,
were less than the following approximated national averages for base
year 1996-1997:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average Average
Market Library
Value of Expenditures
Endowment for
Fund, Per Materials,
FTE Per FTE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two-year Public Institutions................. $1,332 $45
Two-year Nonprofit, Private Institutions..... 11,567 121
Four-year Public Institutions................ 2,829 165
Four-year Nonprofit Private Institutions..... 42,579 254
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a tie still remains after applying the additional points, the
Secretary determines that an institution will receive an award
according to a combined ranking of two-year and four-year institutions.
This ranking is established by combining library expenditures and
endowment values per FTE student. The institutions with the lowest
combined library expenditures per FTE student and endowment values per
FTE student are ranked higher in strict numerical order.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Department of Education General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82,
85, and 86; and (b) the regulations for the Strengthening Institutions
Program in 34 CFR Part 607, except those regulatory sections that have
been superseded by the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 (Public Law
105-244).
Supplementary Information: The Higher Education Amendments of 1998
amended the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) regarding the Hispanic-
Serving Institutions Program in several respects. First, it moved the
program Title V of the HEA. It made specific changes to the eligibility
requirements for new grants and authorized uses of grant funds. Key
statutory provisions that directly impact the program are:
a. As amended, section 504(a)(2) of the HEA provides that an
institution that receives a five-year individual grant under Title V,
is not eligible to receive an additional development grant until two
years after the date on which the five-year grant terminates.
b. As amended, section 503(b) of the HEA authorizes the use of
grant funds for the following activities: (1) Purchase, rental, or
lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes,
including instructional and research purposes. (2) Construction,
maintenance, renovation, and improvement in classrooms, libraries,
laboratories, and other instructional facilities, including the
integration of computer technology into institutional facilities to
create smart buildings.
(3) Support of faculty exchanges, faculty development and faculty
fellowships to assist in attaining advanced degrees in the field of
instruction of the faculty.
(4) Purchase of library books, periodicals, and other educational
materials, including telecommunications program material.
(5) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to
improve academic success.
(6) Funds management, administrative management, and acquisition of
equipment for use in strengthening funds management.
(7) Joint use of facilities, such as laboratories and libraries.
(8) Establishing or improving a development office to strengthen or
improve contributions from alumni and the private sector.
(9) Establishing or improving an endowment fund.
(10) Creating or improving facilities for Internet or other
distance learning academic instruction capabilities, including purchase
or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services.
(11) Establishing or enhancing a teacher education program designed
to qualify students to teach in public, elementary and secondary
schools.
(12) Establishing community outreach programs that will encourage
elementary and secondary school students to develop the academic skills
and the interest to pursue postsecondary education.
(13) Expanding the number of Hispanic and other underrepresented
graduate and professional students that
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can be served by an institution by expanding courses and institutional
resources.
(14) Other activities proposed in the application that contribute
to carrying out the purposes of the program and are approved by the
Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of the application.
As amended, section 503(c) (1) and (2) of the HEA provides that
grantees under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program may
use up to 20 percent of grant funds to establish or increase an
endowment fund. However, the grantee institution must provide matching
funds from non-Federal sources in an amount equal to or greater than
the grant funds used for the endowment fund.
For Further Information Contact or Applications: Carl Person, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, the Portals Building
Suite CY-80, Washington, D.C. 20202-5335. Telephone (202) 708-8839 or
(202) 708-8816. The e-mail address for Mr. Person is
Carl__Person@ed.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service
(FIRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the
application package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that
person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an
alternate format the standard forms included in the application
package.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may review this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the
following sites:
http://gcs.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html
To use the PDF, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing
Office (GPO) at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
Note: The official version of a document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available at GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057.
Dated: May 3, 1999.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 99-11490 Filed 5-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U
