[Federal Register: January 23, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 15)]
[Notices]
[Page 3619-3621]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ja98-131]
[[Page 3619]]
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Part II
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Strengthening Institutions Programs; Notice Inviting Applications for
New Awards for Fiscal Year 1998; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No. 84.031]
Strengthening Institutions Programs; Notice Inviting Applications
for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1998
Purpose of Program: Provide grants to eligible institutions of
higher education to improve their academic quality, institutional
management, and fiscal stability in order to increase their self-
sufficiency.
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: March 17, 1998.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 9, 1998.
Applications Available: Applications will be mailed by January 26,
1998 to the office of the president of all institutions that will
receive an application to be designated as an eligible institution
under the Strengthening Institutions Program.
Available Funds: $17,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $327,000 to $350,000 per year for five-
year development grants; $30,000 to $35,000 for one-year planning
grants.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $338,500 per year for five-year
development grants; $32,500 for one year planning grants.
Estimated Number of Awards: 48 development grants; 14 planning
grants.
Project Period: 60 months for development grants; 12 months for
planning 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, the Secretary awards one additional point under
Sec. 607.23 to an application from an institution that has an endowment
fund for which the current market value, per full-time equivalent (FTE)
student, is less than the average, per FTE student, at similar type
institutions; and one additional point to an application from an
institution that has expenditures for library materials, per FTE
student, that 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 average for base year
1995-96:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 above, the Secretary
determines that institutions will receive an award according to a
combined ranking of two year-and four-year institutions. The ranking is
established by awarding points for combined FTE averages of library
expenditures and endowment values by similar type institutions.
Institutions whose combined FTE averages of library expenditures and
endowment values are the lowest 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 this program in 34 CFR Part
607.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Please note that 34 CFR 607.9(b)(2), (3) and
(4) have been superseded by Sec. 313(a) of the Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended (HEA). Accordingly, please disregard those sections,
which are found in appendix VI of the application.
In making awards for fiscal year 1998, the Secretary will give
priority for grants to the highest ranked applicants who are not or
were not recipients of an individual Strengthening Institutions Program
development grant on or after October 1, 1997. While institutions that
are or were recipients of individual Strengthening Institutions Program
development grants on or after October 1, 1997 may submit applications
if they wish, those applications will be reviewed only if funds are
available after all priority applications are funded. The Secretary
does not anticipate having any funds available after all priority
applications are funded.
In Sec. 312 of the FY 1998 appropriation bill, Congress authorized
the use of up to 20% of grant funds awarded to an institution under the
Part A-Strengthening Program for endowment building. Any institution
seeking to use Part A funds for endowment building purposes shall
indicate that intention in its application and shall abide by the
departmental regulations in 34 CFR Part 628 governing the Endowment
Challenge Grant program. Only institutions requesting and competing
successfully for new individual development grants in Fiscal Year 1998
may use up to 20% of the funds for endowment building; non-competing
continuation grantees are not eligible for endowment building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blanca Westgate, U.S. Department of
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Portals Building, Suite CY-80,
Washington, D.C. 20202-5335. Telephone: (202) 708-8839. 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.
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
Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or
portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web 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 toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone (202)219-1511
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option
G-Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.
Note: The official version of a document is the document
published in the Federal Register.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057.
[[Page 3621]]
Dated: January 16, 1998.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 98-1560 Filed 1-22-98; 8:45 am]
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