03/07/00d: Notice of regional meetings and request for written submissions to obtain advice and comments from the public for use in developing a national postsecondary education agenda for the U.S. Department of Education [OPE]


[Federal Register: March 7, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 45)]
[Notices]
[Page 11990-11991]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07mr00-47]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) Agenda Project

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of regional meetings and request for written submissions
to obtain advice and comments from the public for use in developing a
national postsecondary education agenda for the U.S. Department of
Education.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education will
conduct four regional meetings in Boston, Atlanta, Dallas and San
Francisco to solicit advice for use in setting priorities and refining
the U.S. Department of Education role in postsecondary education.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terri Douglas, U.S. Department of
Education, 1990 K Street, NW, Room 7134, Washington, DC 20006.
Telephone: (202) 502-7750. E-mail: OPE__Agenda@ed.gov. Information
about the project also is available at the Department of Education Web
site at www.ed.gov/OPEAgenda. If you use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) you may call the Federal Information Relay Service
(FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary
Education has long served postsecondary students and institutions
through a wide range of programs aimed at promoting access to, and
quality in, postsecondary education and at strengthening international
education. More recently, we have taken on new challenges in promoting
distance education, improving teacher education, and further expanding
opportunity by better preparing K-12 students for postsecondary
education opportunities at an earlier age and by promoting access to
graduate education.
    Today, America's postsecondary institutions must prepare students
for success in a changing world. OPE's mission--``to mobilize national
resources to promote opportunity and success for all Americans, in a
global environment, through quality postsecondary education''--is even
more important in this context. The Assistant Secretary for
Postsecondary Education created the Agenda Project to solicit advice
from all those who have a stake in postsecondary education. As part of
this project, the Assistant Secretary is conducting regional meetings
and soliciting written advice from the public. This advice will be used
to develop a national postsecondary education agenda--one that will
enable our country to meet the needs of students, institutions, the
business community and the entire nation in this changing environment.
    For more information about the Agenda Project, please visit our Web
site at www.ed.gov/OPEAgenda or contact Ms. Terri Douglas at 202-502-
7654.

Regional Meetings

    Interested parties are invited to attend four regional meetings in
order to contribute ideas and advice on OPE's agenda. The regional
meetings will begin with a brief description of OPE and the Assistant
Secretary's Agenda Project. Participants then will have an opportunity
to contribute their ideas and advice, framed around the following three
questions:
    1. What are the most significant opportunities and challenges
facing American postsecondary education in the next five years?
    2. What are the appropriate roles for the U.S. Department of
Education in postsecondary education?
    3. How can the U.S. Department of Education best maintain a
continuing dialogue with all those who have a stake in postsecondary
education?
    The Department of Education has reserved a limited number of hotel
rooms at each of the following hotels at a special government per diem
room rate. To reserve these rates, be sure to inform the hotel that you
are attending the regional meetings with the Department of Education.

Dates, Times and Locations of Regional Meetings

    1. Boston: April 5, 2000, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.,
The Colonnade Boston, 120 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116. Call
617-424-7000 or fax 617-424-1717 for hotel reservations. Sleeping room
rate: $192 plus taxes. Last day to reserve at the federal rate: March
12
    2. Dallas: April 26, 2000, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m,
Wyndham Dallas Market Center, 2015 Market Center Blvd., Dallas, TX
75207. Call 214-741-7481 or fax 214-747-6191 for hotel reservations.
Sleeping room rate: $89. Last day to reserve at the federal rate: March
27
    3. San Francisco: May 2, 2000, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3
p.m., Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf, 555 North Point Street, San Francisco,
CA 94133. Call 415-563-1234 or fax 415-563-2218 for hotel reservations.
Sleeping room rate: $175. Last day to reserve at the federal rate:
April 11
    4. Atlanta: May 10, 2000, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.,
Wyndham Atlanta Hotel, 160 Spring Street, Atlanta, GA 30303. Call 404-
688-8600 or fax 404-524-5543 for room reservations. Sleeping room rate:
$93. Last day to reserve at the federal rate: April 9
    The hearing sites are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Regional
Meetings

    The Department will provide a sign language interpreter at each of
the scheduled hearings. An individual with a disability who will need
an auxiliary aid or service other than an interpreter to participate in
the meeting (for example, assistive listening device or materials in an
alternative format) should notify the contact person listed in this
notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting date. Although
the Department will attempt to meet a request received after that date,
the requested auxiliary aid or service may not be available because of
insufficient time to arrange it.

Invitation To Comment

    We invite you to submit written comments and suggestions addressing
the questions outlined in the Regional Meetings section. Comments
should be addressed to Dr. A. Lee Fritschler, Assistant Secretary for
Postsecondary Education, and mailed or e-mailed to the address given in
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    Comments will be available for public inspection, during and after
the comment period, in room 7122, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC,
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday
through Friday of each week except Federal Holidays.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the
following sites:

http://ocfo.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

[[Page 11991]]

U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) toll free at 1-888-293-6498 or in
the Washington, DC, area, at (202) 572-1530.

    Note:
    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 on GPO Access at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

    Dated: March 2, 2000.
A. Lee Fritschler,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-5495 Filed 3-6-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U