[Federal Register: March 12, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 48)] [Notices] [Page 11585-11586] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12mr97-159] [[Page 11585]] _______________________________________________________________________ Part III Department of Education _______________________________________________________________________ Strengthening Institutions Program; New Awards for Fiscal Year 1997; Notice [[Page 11586]] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA NO: 84.031A] Strengthening Institutions Program; New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1997 Purpose of Program: This program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education to improve their academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability so they can become self- sufficient. Applicant Information: The Secretary announces that he will make new awards under the Strengthening Institutions Program with Fiscal Year 1997 funds from among the highest-ranked unfunded applications that were submitted under the Strengthening Institutions Program biennial grant award competition for Fiscal Years 1995 and 1996. Thus, the Secretary will award grants to eligible institutions that submitted the highest-rated unfunded applications under that competition. This funding procedure will carry out the original intent of the biennial award process announced in the Federal Register of March 5, 1995 (60 FR 12543). The Department will soon contact by telephone those institutions being considered for new awards. The Department developed the biennial award process to allow an institution to submit one grant application that could be considered for funding over two successive funding cycles, thereby eliminating the need for an institution to generate and submit a second application. However, this process was not implemented during FY 1996, the second year of the biennium, because the Strengthening Institutions Program appropriation for that year was insufficient to make new awards. FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Louis J. Venuto, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., 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. 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; on the Internet Gopher Server (at gopher:// gcs.ed.gov); or on the World Wide Web (at http://gcs.ed.gov). 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 6, 1997. David A. Longanecker, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 97-6096 Filed 3-11-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P