[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 59 (Monday, March 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-7184]
[Federal Register: March 28, 1994]
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Part VII
Department of Education
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Strengthening Institutions Program; Notice Inviting Applications for
New Awards for Fiscal Year 1994; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
(CFDA NO. 84.031A)
Strengthening Institutions Program; Notice Inviting Applications
for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1994
Purpose of Program: Provide grants to eligible institutions of
higher education to improve their academic quality, institutional
management, and fiscal stability so they can become self-sufficient.
This grant program should be seen as an opportunity for applicants
to support those elements of the National Education Goals that are
relevant to their unique missions.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 1994.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 16, 1994.
Applications Available: Applications will be mailed by April 1 to
the Office of the President of all institutions that are designated as
eligible to apply for a grant under the Strengthening Institutions
Program.
Available Funds: $23,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $25,000 to $35,000 for planning grants;
$300,000 to $350,000 per year for development grants.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $30,000 for planning grants;
$325,000 per year for five-year development grants.
Estimated Number of Awards: 12 planning grants and 70 development
grants.
Project Period: Up to 12 months for planning grants; 60 months for
development grants.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Special Funding Considerations: In tie-breaking situations
described in 34 CFR 607.23 of the Strengthening Institutions Program
regulations, 34 CFR 607.23, the Secretary awards additional points
under Secs. 607.21 and 607.22 to an application from an institution
which has an endowment fund for which the current market value, per FTE
student, is less than the average, per FTE student, at similar type
institutions; and has expenditures for library materials, per FTE
student, which are less than the average, per FTE student, at similar
type institutions.
For the purposes of these funding considerations, an applicant must
be able to demonstrate that the current market value of its endowment
fund, per FTE student, or expenditures for library materials, per FTE
student, is less than the following national averages for base year
1990-91.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average Average
market library
value of expenditures
endowment for
fund, per materials,
FTE per FTE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two-year Public Institutions................... $1,425 $44
Two-year Nonprofit, Private Institutions....... 6,683 100
Four-year Public Institutions.................. 1,699 159
Four-year Nonprofit, Private Institutions...... 29,175 244.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82,
85, and 86; and (b) the Strengthening Institutions Program Regulations,
34 CFR part 607.
Supplementary Information: On September 16, 1993, the Secretary
published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for this program in
the Federal Register (58 FR 48478).
It is not the policy of the Department of Education to solicit
applications before the publication of final regulations. However, in
this case, it is necessary to solicit applications on the basis of the
NPRM, with the modifications described below, to be able to implement
section 314(c) of the HEA. That section requires the Secretary to
notify an applicant by June 30, 1994 of (1) the score given the
applicant by a panel of reviewers, (2) the recommendation of the panel
with regard to such application, and (3) the Secretary's reasons for
funding or not funding an application, and any modification in a panel
recommendation with regard to an application.
Anticipated Changes to the NPRM
Since the publication of the NPRM, Congress enacted the Higher
Education Technical Amendments of 1993, Public Law 103-208. One of
those technical amendments revised section 313(b) of the HEA.
Prior to its amendment, section 313(b) of the HEA provided that
``In awarding grants under this part, the Secretary shall give priority
to applicants who are not already receiving a grant under this part.''
The Higher Education Technical Amendments of 1993 added the following
exception to that section: ``Except that a grant made under section
354(a)(1) shall not be considered a grant under this part.'' (Section
354(a)(1) authorizes the Secretary to fund ``cooperative arrangement''
grants.)
In proposed Sec. 607.13, the Secretary had provided that an
institution could not apply for both an individual development grant
and a cooperative arrangement grant. However, as a result of the
amendment to section 313(b), that limitation has been eliminated and an
applicant may apply for both types of grants. In addition, as a result
of the amendment to section 313(b) of the HEA, a recipient of a
cooperative arrangement grant does not fall into a lower funding
priority, and Sec. 607.20(b) will be amended accordingly.
The Secretary anticipates making the following two additional
changes in the NPRM. If these changes are not ultimately made,
applicants will be given the opportunity to revise their applications
as necessary.
Under the first anticipated change, in Sec. 607.11, an applicant
must justify its failure to complete activities funded under a previous
grant regardless of whether the applicant is requesting additional
grant funds to complete those activities. In the NPRM, an applicant had
to justify its failure to complete funded activities only if it was
requesting additional grant funds to complete those activities.
Under the second anticipated change, under Sec. 607.10, an
applicant may choose a ``Dean'' to be a project coordinator or activity
director under a grant and may use grant funds to pay the salary of
that individual as long as that ``Dean'' does not report directly to
the President of the applicant institution and does not have college-
wide administrative authority and responsibility.
For Information Contact: Louis J. Venuto, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3042, ROB-3, Washington, DC
20202-5335. Telephone: (202) 708-8840. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board),
telephone (202) 260-9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server at
GOPHER.ED.GOV (under Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases).
However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant
competition is the notice published in the Federal Register.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057.
Dated: March 22, 1994.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 94-7184 Filed 3-25-94; 8:45 am]
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