[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 237 (Thursday, December 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76672-76674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31144]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
U.S. Education Mission to Central America: Panama and Honduras
(Optional Stop to Guatemala)
May 2-5, 2016.
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade
Administration, is organizing an education mission to Panama and
Honduras with an optional stop to Guatemala. The Department of Commerce
is partnering with the Department of State's EducationUSA Advising
Centers. This trade mission is designed to emphasize U.S. higher
education, focusing on, in order of importance, intensive English
language programs, community colleges, summer, undergraduate and
graduate programs. The trade mission follows a successful trade mission
to El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua in March 2015 and was of high
demand given the previous successes.
This mission will seek to connect U.S. higher education
institutions to potential students and university/institution partners
in Central America. The mission will include student fairs organized by
EducationUSA, embassy briefings, site visits, and networking events.
Panama City, San Pedro Sula and Guatemala City, are three of the top
cities for recruiting students from Central America to the United
States. Participating in the Education Mission, rather than traveling
to these markets independently, will enhance the participants ability
to secure appropriate meetings, especially in light of the high level
engagement and support of U.S. education by the U.S. ambassadors in
Panama and Honduras.
Certain criteria must be fulfilled by schools attending this trade
mission. Summer programs seeking to participate should be appropriately
accredited by an accreditation body recognized by the U.S. Department
of Education. Intensive English language programs seeking to
participate should be accredited by the Commission on English Language
Programs Accreditation (CEA) or appropriately accredited by an
accreditation body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Community colleges, undergraduate and graduate programs seeking to
participate should be accredited by a recognized accreditation body
listed in Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or
Accrediting Council for Education and Training (ACCET), in the
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA), or any
accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Schedule
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Monday, May 2................ [ssquf] Arrive in Panama City.
[ssquf] Check into hotel.
[ssquf] Welcome Dinner and Embassy
Briefing.
Tuesday, May 3............... [ssquf] Group departure to secondary
school and university visits.
[ssquf] Group lunch with American Chamber
of Commerce/Panama.
[ssquf] Group return to hotel for one-on-
one appointments and networking
opportunities.
[ssquf] Afternoon: Student Information
Sessions and Education Fair organized by
EducationUSA in conjunction with the
Commercial Service.
Wednesday, May 4............. [ssquf] Group departs Panama City for San
Pedro Sula.
[ssquf] Arrive in San Pedro Sula; Check
into hotel.
[ssquf] Group Lunch and Country Briefing
with U.S. and Foreign Commercial
Service, EducationUSA and U.S. Embassy
Public Affairs Officer.
[ssquf] Networking coffee with local
universities.
[ssquf] Afternoon: Student Information
Sessions and Education Fair organized by
EducationUSA in conjunction with the
Commercial Service.
Thursday, May 5.............. [ssquf] Group departs to Guatemala City.
[ssquf] Arrive in Guatemala City; Check
into Hotel.
[ssquf] Lunch and Embassy Briefing with
U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service and
Public Affairs.
[ssquf] One-on-one opportunities with
local institutions.
[ssquf] Afternoon: Student Information
Sessions and Education Fair organized by
a local contractor in conjunction with
the Commercial Service.
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Web site: Please visit our official mission Web site for more
information: http://export.gov/industry/education/centralamericamission/.
Participation Requirements
All parties interested in participating in the mission to Central
America must submit a complete application package for consideration to
the U.S. Department of Commerce. All applicants will be evaluated on
their ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy the selection
criteria as outlined below. Participants in the mission will be
selected on a rolling basis to a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 20
appropriately accredited U.S. educational institutions. Both, U.S.
educational institutions already recruiting students and developing
partnerships in the region and those who are new to recruiting and
developing partnerships in the region may apply. The optional stop of
Guatemala City will also be available on a rolling basis up to a
maximum of 10 participants.
Fees and Expenses
After an institution has been selected to participate on the
mission, a payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of a
participation fee is required. The participation fee is $2,550 for one
principal representative from each non-profit educational institution
or educational institution with less than 500 employees and $ $2,939
for for-profit universities with over 500 employees. An institution can
choose to participate in the optional stop in Guatemala for an
additional $1,646 for one principal representative from each non-profit
educational institution or educational institution with less than 500
employees and $1,872 for for-profit universities with over 500
employees. The fee for each additional representative is $500. Expenses
for lodging, some meals, incidentals, and all travel (except for
transportation to and from airports in-country, previously noted) will
be the responsibility of each mission participant. The U.S. Department
of Commerce can facilitate government rates in some hotels. The cost of
participating in the student fairs at each location will be included in
the registration fee.
Application
All interested firms and associations may register via the
following link: http://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/TM/6R0R.
Exclusions
The mission fee does not include any personal travel expenses such
as
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lodging, most meals, local ground transportation, except as stated in
the proposed agenda, and air transportation from the United States to
the mission site and return to the United States.
Timeline for Recruitment and Applications
Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner,
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce
Department trade mission calendar (http://export.gov/industry/education/) and other Internet Web sites, press releases to general and
trade media, direct mail, notices by industry trade associations and
other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, symposia,
conferences, and trade shows. Recruitment for the mission will begin
immediately and conclude no later than March 1, 2016. Applications for
the mission will be accepted on a rolling basis. Applications received
after March 1, 2016, will be considered only if space and scheduling
constraints permit.
Conditions for Participation
An applicant must submit a timely, completed and signed mission
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate
information on course offerings, primary market objectives, and goals
for participation. The institution must have appropriate accreditation
as specified per paragraph one above. The institution must be
represented at the student fair by an employee. No agents will be
allowed to represent a school on the mission or participate at the
student fair. Agents will also not be allowed into the fairs to solicit
new partnerships. If the Department of Commerce receives an incomplete
application, the Department may reject the application, request
additional information, or take the lack of information into account
when evaluating the applications.
Participants must travel to both stops in Panama and Honduras on
the mission. Guatemala is the only optional stop.
Each applicant must certify that the services it seeks to export
through the mission are either produced in the United States, or, if
not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least 51
percent U.S. content of the value of the service.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Goldberg, Industry & Analysis,
Office of Trade Promotion Programs, Washington, DC, Tel: (202) 482-
1706, Email: [email protected].
Frank Spector,
Acting Director, Trade Missions Program.
[FR Doc. 2015-31144 Filed 12-9-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P