[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67429-67430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28266]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity (NACIQI) Meeting
AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of
Education.
ACTION: Opportunity for the public to make written comments and/or oral
comments concerning the NACIQI's report on the reauthorization of the
Higher Education Act (HEA).
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SUMMARY: This notice invites the public to submit written comments and
requests to make oral comments concerning the NACIQI's draft report on
the reauthorization of the HEA.
ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary
Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 8060, Washington, DC 20006.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NACIQI meeting will be held on December
14-16, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 5:30 p.m., at the Crowne
Plaza Old Town Alexandria, Washington Ballroom, 901 North Fairfax
Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.
During the afternoons of December 15 and December 16, 2011, the
Committee will consider its report on the reauthorization of the HEA.
Agenda for the Portion of the Meeting Concerning the Committee's
Draft Report on the HEA: The portion of the meeting concerning the
Committee's draft report will consist of public comments and
deliberations concerning the draft report to the Secretary of U.S.
Department of Education on the reauthorization of the HEA. The report
may be accessed at http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/naciqi-dir/hea-recommendations.doc and http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/naciqi-dir/hea-recommendations.pdf.
Submission of Written Comments Concerning the Committee's Draft
Report on the Reauthorization of the HEA: Submitters should provide
written comments as a Microsoft Word document that is attached to an
electronic mail message (email) or provide comments in the body of an
email message. Email messages must be received no later than November
25, 2011, to aslrecordsmanager@ed.gov with the subject line ``Written
Comments regarding the draft report on the reauthorization of the HEA:
Option Letter and/or Number.''
The Department intends to post the submissions on the NACIQI Web
site. To help ensure accessibility to all interested parties, we are
requesting that all submissions comply with the requirements of Section
508 of the Rehabilitation Act, or be submitted in an electronic format
that can be made accessible, such as Microsoft Word. However, we will
accept comments in any electronic or written form provided, but
comments submitted in other forms, which are inaccessible, will not be
posted online. Instead, we will index the inaccessible comments
received and make them available upon request. Also, if copyrighted
materials are submitted, written permission to post the materials on
the U.S. Department of Education's NACIQI Web site must accompany the
copyrighted materials.
Only materials submitted by the deadline to the email address
listed in this notice, and in accordance with these instructions,
become part of the official record concerning the reauthorization of
the HEA and are considered by the Department and the NACIQI in their
deliberations. Do not send material directly to NACIQI members or to
staff.
Instructions for Requests to Make Oral Comments Concerning the
Committee's Draft Report on the Reauthorization of the HEA: There are
two methods the public may use to make an oral comment concerning the
Committee's report on the reauthorization of the HEA.
Method One: Submit a request by email in advance of the meeting to
make an oral comment. All individuals or groups submitting an advance
request in accordance with this notice will be afforded an opportunity
to speak for up to a maximum of three minutes each. Each request must
be received no later than November 18, 2011, and must be sent to
aslrecordsmanager@ed.gov with the subject line ``Oral Comment Request
regarding the draft report on the reauthorization of the HEA: Option
Letter and/or Number.'' Your request (no more than one page maximum)
must include:
1. The name, title, affiliation, mailing address, email address,
telephone and facsimile numbers, and Web site (if any) of the person/
group requesting to speak, and
2. A brief summary of the principal points to be made during the
oral presentation.
Do not send material directly to the NACIQI members or staff.
Method Two: Register on December 16, 2011, for an opportunity to
comment on the draft report. The requester should provide his or her
name, title, affiliation, mailing address, email address, telephone and
facsimile numbers, and Web site (if any). The requester should provide
the ``Option Letter and/or Number'' for the item the requester wishes
to address. Up to 30 minutes total will be divided among oral
commenters who register (in addition to those commenters who signed up
in advance). Individuals or groups that register to make oral comments
on December 16. 2011, will be selected on a first-come, first-served
basis for each issue reviewed. If selected, each commenter may speak
from three to five minutes, depending on the number of individuals or
groups who registered for an oral presentation opportunity for each
issue. The
[[Page 67430]]
Committee may engage the commenter in discussion afterwards. If a
person or group requests to make comments in advance, they cannot sign-
up to make comments at the meeting.
Members of the public will be eligible to make oral comments
concerning the reauthorization of the HEA only in accordance with these
instructions. The oral comments made will become part of the official
record and will be considered by the Department and the NACIQI in their
deliberations.
Written and Oral Comments Concerning the Agencies/Institutions
Scheduled for Review on December 14 and 15, 2011: Two separate Federal
Register notices were previously published on August 17, 2011 (76 FR
51014) and [publication date to be determined for the NACIQI Oral
Comments notice] that contained the meeting notice and instructions for
providing written or oral comments concerning the agencies and the
Federal institution scheduled for review.
Access to Records of the Meeting: The Department will record the
meeting and post the official report of the meeting on the NACIQI Web
site shortly after the meeting. Pursuant to the FACA, the public may
also inspect the materials at 1990 K Street NW., Washington, DC, by
emailing aslrecordsmanager@ed.gov, or by calling (202) 219-7067 to
schedule an appointment.
Reasonable Accommodation: Individuals who will need accommodations
for a disability in order to attend the December 14-16, 2011 meeting
(i.e., interpreter services, assistive listening devices, and/or
materials in alternative format) should contact department staff by
telephone: (202) 219-7011; or, email: aslrecordsmanagement@ed.gov, no
later than November 21, 2011. We will attempt to meet requests after
this date but cannot guarantee the availability of the requested
accommodation. The meeting site is accessible.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Lewis, Executive Director,
NACIQI, U.S. Department of Education, Room 8060, 1990 K Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20006, telephone: (202) 219-7009; email:
Melissa.Lewis@ed.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1
(800) 877-8339, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time,
Monday through Friday.
NACIQI'S Statutory Authority and Functions: The NACIQI is
established under Section 114 of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of
1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1011c. The NACIQI advises the Secretary of
Education about:
The establishment and enforcement of the Criteria for
Recognition of accrediting agencies or associations under Subpart 2,
Part H, Title IV, HEA, as amended.
The recognition of specific accrediting agencies or
associations, or a specific State approval agency.
The preparation and publication of the list of nationally
recognized accrediting agencies and associations.
The eligibility and certification process for institutions
of higher education under Title IV, HEA.
The relationship between: (1) Accreditation of
institutions of higher education and the certification and eligibility
of such institutions, and (2) State licensing responsibilities with
respect to such institutions.
Any other advisory functions relating to accreditation and
institutional eligibility that the Secretary may prescribe.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
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 via the Federal Digital System
at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document,
as well as all other document of this Department published in the
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
this site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: http://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Eduardo M. Ochoa,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2011-28266 Filed 10-31-11; 8:45 am]
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