Legislation
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315) (HEOA) was enacted on August 14, 2008. This law reauthorizes and extends the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The Higher Education Act (HEA) provides the statutory authority for most of the programs administered by OPE, as well as for the Federal Student Aid Programs.
The HEOA includes changes to many existing programs and also authorizes a number of new programs. We will post information on this new legislation as it becomes available.
The HEA now requires that the Secretary consult with federal agency heads in order to receive recommendations regarding areas of national need for expertise in foreign languages and world regions. The links below provide the areas of national need identified by the Secretary, consisting of the seventy-eight priority languages that are less commonly taught and the world regions.
The links below provide the program statute in effect until the enactment of the Higher Education Opportunity Act.
- Title VI, Part B, Sections 601 and 612 B of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
MS Word (25K) | PDF (22K)
Regulations
- Program regulations can be found in 34 CFR Parts 655 and 661.
- Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99
- A March 21, 2005 Federal Register announcement modified program regulations by removing references to points in the selection criteria used to evaluate applications submitted under this program. PDF (79K)
Policy Guidance
Eligible activities for this program include, but are not limited to:
- improvement of the business and international education curriculum of institutions to serve the needs of the business community, including the development of new programs for mid-career or part-time students;
- development of programs to inform the public of increasing international economic interdependence and the role of American business within the international economic system;
- internationalization of curricula at the junior and community college level, and at undergraduate and graduate schools of business; development of area studies programs and interdisciplinary international programs;
- establishment of export education programs;
- research for and development of specialized teaching materials appropriate to business-oriented students;
- establishment of student and faculty fellowships and internships or other training or research opportunities;
- creating opportunities for business and professional faculty to strengthen international skills;
- development of research programs on issues of common interest to institutions of higher education and private sector organizations and associations engaged in or promoting international economic activity;
- the establishment of internships overseas to enable foreign language students to develop their foreign language skills and knowledge of foreign cultures and societies;
- the establishment of linkages overseas with institutions of higher education and organizations that contribute to the educational objectives of this section; and
- summer institutes in international business, foreign area and other international studies designed to carry out the purposes of this section.
Limitations on Use of Funds / Cost-Sharing Requirements: The applicant must contribute 50 percent of the total project cost. Thus, if an applicant requests $70,000 from the federal government, the applicant must contribute $70,000 of institutional funds to the project. The matching requirement may be cash or in-kind contributions.
