[Federal Register: March 28, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 61)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 14005-14011]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[[Page 14005]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part VII
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
34 CFR Part 657
Higher Education Programs in Modern Foreign Language Training and Area
Studies--Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program;
Proposed Rule
[[Page 14006]]
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
34 CFR Part 657
RIN 1840-AC28
Higher Education Programs in Modern Foreign Language Training and
Area Studies--Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to amend the regulations governing the
Higher Education Programs in Modern Foreign Language Training and Area
Studies--Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships Program.
These amendments are needed in order to improve the application review
process and to update the regulations in light of developments in the
field of foreign language, area, and international studies. In the
spirit of reinventing government, the goal of the proposed changes is
to markedly reduce the burden associated with the application review
process. These regulations are intended to (a) reduce the burden on
applicants and readers by clarifying and restructuring selection
criteria to remove ambiguity and eliminate repetition of information
presented in applications, (b) facilitate funding decisions by
providing a larger possible point spread for greater differentiation of
rankings, (c) simplify the application process for applicants, improve
the cost-effectiveness of the program, and standardize program
management by adopting the fellowship award allocation system currently
used to administer other Federal fellowship programs, and (d) improve
program quality, efficiency, and flexibility by adopting changes
program management experience shows to be appropriate.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 29, 1996.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed regulations should be
addressed to Sara West, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence
Avenue, S.W., Suite 600B, Portals Building, Washington, D.C. 20202-
5331. Comments may also be sent through the Internet to ``FLAS--
Fellowship@ed.gov''.
Comments that concern information collection requirements must be
sent to the Office of Management and Budget at the address listed in
the Paperwork Reduction Act section of this preamble. A copy of those
comments may also be sent to the Department representative named in the
preceding paragraph.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara West. Telephone: (202) 401-9782.
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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program is one of
several international education programs authorized under Part A of
Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). The
main provisions of the regulations govern the awarding of grants
designed to provide fellowship assistance to students enrolled in
advanced programs of modern foreign language and area or international
studies.
In the spirit of reinventing government, it is the Secretary's goal
to simplify the application process and management of the Foreign
Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program to benefit the public.
The Secretary intends the proposed changes to add clarity to the review
process, to decrease the current burden on applicants and peer
reviewers, to facilitate the application of uniform standards among
peer reviewers and in Federal fellowship program management, to
increase cost-effectiveness of the program, and to increase flexibility
in program management for funded grantees and for the Secretary.
The Secretary proposes to amend the regulations for the Foreign
Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program by modifying the
selection criteria for applications, by eliminating references to
undergraduate programs and fellowship recipients in keeping with
statutory requirements, by adopting a new system of allocating
fellowship awards, and by easing restrictions on the use of fellowship
awards abroad and clarifying that only academic year awards may be used
for research abroad.
Selection Criteria. The selection criteria currently used are very
general, leading to some misinterpretation of questions asked, frequent
repetition of information, and inclusion of information that is not
pertinent to the purpose of the Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowships Program. The proposed changes seek to retain much of the
sense of the current criteria while removing ambiguity regarding
requested information. The purpose of the changes is to clarify what
information should be presented so that (a) all applicants will provide
more focused information necessary for evaluation of a proposal under
this program, (b) applicants will be able to present all relevant
information within fewer pages of the proposal narrative, and (c) peer
reviewers will be able to more easily and accurately evaluate and rank
proposals based on comparative strengths.
A reorganized, broader point scale and clearly identified point
allocations for individual paragraphs of the technical review criteria
are proposed in order to (a) enable peer reviewers to score more
carefully and accurately differentiate between proposals of high
caliber, (b) discourage peer reviewers from overlooking any individual
question to be scored, and (c) clarify for peer reviewers and
applicants exactly what requested information corresponds to each point
value.
Undergraduate References. The Higher Education Amendments of 1992,
Pub. L. 102-325, amended section 603 of the HEA to limit the awarding
of FLAS fellowships to graduate students. For that reason, the
Secretary eliminates references to undergraduate students or programs
and use of ambiguous terms such as ``advanced.'' The purpose of these
changes is to bring the regulations in line with the authorizing
statute and to clarify program requirements for applicants and
grantees.
System of Allocation. The Secretary proposes to increase cost-
effectiveness, simplify the application process and program management
for grantees, and bring the Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowships Program more in line with other government fellowship
programs by amending the system of allocation. Under the system of
allocation currently used to administer this program, a FLAS fellowship
consists of a student subsistence allowance and tuition plus all
required fees. Grantees are expected to submit in their proposal
budgets a variety of tuition rates for graduate students at differing
levels of study and enrolled in different academic programs; for
example, public institutions provide different rates based upon
residency requirements, while both public and private institutions
often have varying tuition rates for graduate students enrolled in arts
and sciences or professional degree programs or at the dissertation
level. Grant monies are then allocated based on a combination of awards
at a variety of tuition rates for an individual grantee institution.
Because the rates supplied are projections based on rates in effect at
the time of application and not actual prospective tuition rates, and
because the grantee institutions do not know at
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the time of the grant competition which students will compete
successfully for awards, the current system of allocation is imprecise.
While the Secretary might allocate funds for five awards to an
institution, there is no guarantee that the institution will make five
awards in the amounts assumed. Depending on the students selected, it
might actually make two awards at a high tuition rate or seven awards
at a low tuition rate.
Under the proposed system of allocation, a FLAS fellowship consists
of a student subsistence allowance and a standard institutional payment
(rather than full tuition plus fees) to be established by the Secretary
and announced in the application notice. This system of allocation is
commonly referred to as the ``cost-of-education allowance'' system. By
applying for an allocation of fellowship awards, the institution agrees
to accept the institutional payment published in the application notice
in lieu of any additional costs of tuition and fees. In cases in which
the institutional payment is greater than the actual cost of tuition
and fees at the institution, the excess institutional payment funds
must be applied toward additional fellowship awards. The purpose of
this amendment is to (a) simplify the budget portion of the application
process for applicants; (b) make the Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowships Program more ``user-friendly'' for the public by adopting a
system of allocation currently used for a variety of Federal fellowship
programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education and other
agencies; (c) simplify grantee institutions' own competitions for
fellowship candidates by treating each applicant equally, regardless of
tuition rate; (d) eliminate imprecision in how funds will actually be
used by grantees and increase the accountability of grantee
institutions by requiring them to make a minimum number of awards with
their grant allocations; and (e) increase the cost-effectiveness of the
program by requiring institutions with high tuition rates to accept a
standard institutional payment in lieu of full tuition and fees.
Easing Limits on Overseas Use of Fellowships. Proposed changes to
the limitations on the use of funds for overseas fellowships seek to
expand grantees' program management options and clarify the appropriate
use of awards. The requirement that students using awards at overseas
language programs be at the advanced level of language study is
expanded to include intermediate-level study for all eligible languages
as well as beginning-level study of languages for which appropriate
instruction is not available in the United States. Additional
modifications are intended to clarify that only academic year awards
may be used abroad for research, and summer fellowships are to be used
for intensive language training rather than for short-term dissertation
research.
Explanation of Changes
The Secretary proposes to make the following changes:
Section 657.1 What is the Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowships Program?
Section 657.1(a). The Secretary proposes to modify this section to
clarify that only graduate-level students are eligible to receive
awards since the 1992 reauthorization of the HEA. The current language
indicates that students who receive fellowships must be enrolled in
``advanced'' training. The Secretary believes that substituting the
word ``graduate'' for ``advanced'' more clearly states the statutory
requirement.
Section 657.2 Who is eligible to receive an allocation of fellowships?
Section 657.2(d). The Secretary proposes to eliminate the reference
to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program
because undergraduate students are no longer eligible to receive awards
since the 1992 reauthorization of the HEA.
Section 657.3 Who is eligible to receive a fellowship?
Section 657.3(a)(3). The Secretary proposes to eliminate the entire
paragraph referring to students who are permanent residents of the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, because there is no longer a
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Section 657.20 How does the Secretary evaluate an institutional
application for an allocation of fellowships?
Section 657.20(b). The Secretary proposes to expand the range of
possible points for applications in order to enable peer reviewers in
scoring to more carefully and accurately differentiate between
proposals of high caliber. It has been the Secretary's experience that
competition for grants under the Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowships Program is strong; recent winning applicants have scored
within a 15-point range on the current scale. As a result, there has
been narrow point differentiation among winning applicants and the
highest scoring unsuccessful applicants. The Secretary believes that
expanding the possible point range would facilitate funding decisions
by providing peer reviewers with a larger scale on which to rank
applications, allowing for greater differentiation of scores for
applications of similar but different merit. The changed point scale,
reflecting changes in the selection criteria and their point
allocations, would add 40 possible points for competitions for which
there are no announced competitive priorities and 50 possible points
for competitions for which competitive priorities have been announced.
Section 657.21 What criteria does the Secretary use in selecting
institutions for an allocation of fellowships?
The Secretary proposes extensive changes in this section in order
to improve the program's application review process and to reflect
current standards in the field of foreign language, area and
international studies. The proposed selection criteria identify
specific information to be provided in an application, thereby
facilitating proposal writing for applicants and evaluation for peer
reviewers. The proposed criteria incorporate most aspects of the
current criteria but are restructured to enable applicants to present
information in a more succinct and less repetitious manner.
Section 657.21(a). The Secretary proposes to eliminate the current
Plan of operation criterion and substitute a Foreign language and area
studies awardee selection procedures criterion that incorporates
elements of the current Plan of operation and Need and potential impact
criteria. It has been the Secretary's experience that the language of
the current criterion has led to some confusion among grantees and peer
reviewers regarding what information should be presented. For example,
one question in the Plan of operation criterion asks about the extent
to which the objectives of the project relate to the purpose of the
program. Applicants and peer reviewers are often uncertain whether
``program'' refers to the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
Program or to the applicant's training program. The Secretary believes
that the proposed language would eliminate uncertainty and assist
applicants in writing, and peer reviewers in evaluating, proposals for
fellowship awards.
Section 657.21(b). The Secretary proposes to replace the Quality of
key personnel criterion with a criterion called Quality of staff
resources. The staff resources criterion would ask the same kind of
questions as the current key personnel criterion, but would also
require explicit information to be
[[Page 14008]]
presented regarding faculty and staff involvement in fellowship program
activities and oversight and professional development opportunities.
Section 657.21(c). The Secretary proposes to eliminate the current
Evaluation plan criterion. The Secretary proposes an Impact and
evaluation criterion that would combine related aspects of the current
Need and potential impact, Evaluation plan, and Plan of operation
criteria. Combining elements of these criteria is logical due to the
interrelatedness of questions about past performance and evaluating
future performance.
Section 657.21(d). The Secretary proposes to modify the language of
the Commitment to the subject area on which the center or program
focuses criterion by clarifying those areas for which institutional
support should be identified. In the past, some applicant institutions
have shown support for the applicant's students by offering matching
funds or tuition waivers for fellowship grants received. Although the
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program does not have a
cost-matching requirement, the Secretary would like to encourage
institutional efforts to promote the cost-effectiveness of the program
as well as institutional commitment to the applicant's training
program. For this reason, this criterion also asks applicants to
provide information about the extent to which the institution provides
financial support to graduate students in fields related to the
applicant's teaching program.
Section 657.21(e). The Secretary proposes to modify and redesignate
the Strength of library criterion. Due to the changes in information
technology and the rising costs of maintaining traditional collections,
a library's book and periodical holdings are no longer the only factor
that should be considered in evaluating the strength of an applicant
institution's library. The proposed regulations would clarify
information to be presented and take into account that library
resources can be provided in print and non-print media, through
cooperative collections and access arrangements with other library
collections, and through on-line, electronic data bases.
Section 657.21(f). The Secretary proposes to add a new criterion
called Quality of the applicant's non-language instructional program.
The proposed criterion would incorporate related elements of the
current Quality of the applicant's instructional program and Quality of
the applicant's relationships within the institution criteria. The
Secretary believes that including all questions related to non-language
course offerings in one section would allow grantees to streamline
their proposals and avoid repetition. It has been the Secretary's
experience that combining questions about non-language and language
courses in the same criterion can lead to applicants neglecting to
provide full information about both non-language and language training.
For that reason, the Secretary proposes to ask parallel questions
regarding the quality of language and non-language training under two
separate criteria. It is the opinion of the Secretary that separate
criteria would emphasize the importance to the Foreign Language and
Area Studies Fellowships Program of both language and area or
international studies training.
Section 657.21(g). The Secretary proposes to address under this
criterion the Quality of the applicant's language instructional
program. Questions asked under this criterion are similar to questions
currently asked under Quality of the applicant's instructional program
criterion but more specifically identify information to be provided.
Section 657.21(h). The Secretary proposes to replace the current
Overseas activities criterion with a criterion called Quality of
curriculum design. Relevant questions about overseas activities would
be asked under the proposed Quality of curriculum design, Commitment to
the subject area on which the applicant focuses, and Quality of staff
resources criteria. It has been the Secretary's experience in this
program that overseas activities have been critical to providing
successful training options for students and professional development
opportunities for faculty. Therefore, the Secretary believes that it is
more appropriate and more clearly related to the purpose of the Foreign
Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program to ask questions
regarding overseas activities in the context of curriculum design and
staff resources. The proposed Quality of curriculum design criterion
would combine elements of the current Overseas activities and Quality
of the applicant's relationships within the institution criteria. The
new criterion would allow applicants to focus on the issue of training
options for students within the context of a single criterion.
Section 657.21(i). The Secretary proposes to eliminate the current
Need and potential impact criterion because related questions would be
asked under the proposed Foreign language and area studies fellowships
awardee selection procedures and Impact and evaluation criteria. The
Secretary proposes to redesignate the current Priorities criterion as
Sec. 657.21(i) and to decrease the point value from 20 points to 10. It
has been the Secretary's experience that most proposals submitted for
competitions under this program succeed in securing almost all of the
points allocated to the competitive priority. A 20-point allocation to
the competitive priority can result in applications with weaker scores
on the mandatory criteria ranking higher than quality proposals that do
not meet the priority. A 10-point competitive priority allocation would
continue to ensure that quality proposals that meet the competitive
priority are funded before quality proposals that do not meet the
priority. The Secretary proposes to decrease the total possible points
allocated for priorities in order to maintain proportion in the
competition and to ensure that only high quality proposals are funded.
Section 657.21(j). The Secretary proposes to eliminate this
paragraph because the Priorities criterion would be included under
Sec. 657.21(i).
Section 657.31 What is the amount of a fellowship?
The Secretary proposes to change the system of allocation of
fellowship award monies in order to simplify the administration of
awards for grantees, increase cost-effectiveness of the program, and
increase uniformity of procedures among federally funded fellowship
programs. The Secretary proposes to specify that each fellowship
awarded would consist of a standard institutional payment and a
subsistence allowance to be announced in the application notice
published in the Federal Register. The Secretary also proposes to
delete references to education levels of recipients since all
recipients must be at the graduate level.
Section 657.32 What is the payment procedure for fellowships?
Section 657.32(d). The Secretary proposes to limit the use of
fellowship funds by stating that funds not used by one fellowship
recipient for reasons of withdrawal are to be used for alternate
recipients to the extent that funds are available for a full
subsistence allowance. In addition, if actual tuition rates are less
than the institutional payment, excess funds must be used to fund
additional fellowships to the extent that funds are available for a
full subsistence allowance. This provision would maximize the cost-
efficiency of the fellowship funds by ensuring that low-tuition
institutions use excess funds to support additional fellows.
[[Page 14009]]
Section 657.33 What are the limitations on the use of funds for
overseas fellowships?
The Secretary proposes changes to this section that would ease
restrictions on and clarify appropriate use of overseas awards. It has
been the Secretary's experience that students at an intermediate level
of language study can benefit as much from an overseas study experience
as advanced students if enrolled in a high-quality language program.
Furthermore, appropriate instruction (particularly for less-commonly-
taught languages) is not always available in the United States.
Section 657.33(b)(1). The Secretary proposes to allow students at
the intermediate level of language study to enroll in overseas language
programs. Currently, only advanced students may use awards abroad.
Additionally, the Secretary proposes to allow the use of fellowship
awards for overseas study at the beginning level of languages for which
instruction is frequently not available in the United States.
Section 657.33(b)(2). In order to clarify for grantees that summer
fellowships are to be used for intensive language training rather than
short-term dissertation research, the Secretary proposes to specify
that awards may be approved for dissertation research during the
academic year only.
Executive Order 12866
Clarity of the Regulations
Executive Order 12866 requires each agency to write regulations
that are easy to understand.
The Secretary invites comments on how to make these proposed
regulations easier to understand, including answers to questions such
as the following: (1) Are the requirements in the regulations clearly
stated? (2) Do the regulations contain technical terms or other wording
that interferes with their clarity? (3) Does the format of the
regulations (grouping and order of sections, use of headings,
paragraphing, etc.) aid or reduce their clarity? Would the regulations
be easier to understand if they were divided into more (but shorter)
sections? (A ``section'' is preceded by the symbol ``Sec. '' and a
numbered heading; for example, Sec. 657.2 Who is eligible to receive an
allocation of fellowships?) (4) Is the description of the proposed
regulations in the ``Supplementary Information'' section of this
preamble helpful in understanding the proposed regulations? How could
this description be more helpful in making the proposed regulations
easier to understand? (5) What else could the Department do to make the
regulations easier to understand?
A copy of any comments that concern how the Department could make
these proposed regulations easier to understand should also be sent to
Stanley M. Cohen, Regulations Quality Officer, U.S. Department of
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W. (Room 5100 FB-10B),
Washington, D.C. 20202-2241.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
The Secretary certifies that these proposed regulations would not
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities.
These proposed regulations merely correct or simplify and clarify
provisions contained in previous regulations and would impose minimal
requirements to ensure the proper expenditure of program funds. The
small entities that would be affected by these proposed regulations are
institutions of higher education receiving Federal funds under this
program. However, the regulations would not have a significant economic
impact on the institutions affected because the regulations would not
impose excessive regulatory burdens or require unnecessary Federal
supervision.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
Section 657.21 contains information collection requirements. As
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507(d)),
the Department of Education has submitted a copy of this section to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review.
Collection of Information: Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowships Program.
Institutions of higher education and consortia of institutions of
higher education are eligible to apply for grants under these
regulations. The information to be collected is specified by the
proposed technical review criteria and includes information currently
collected under regulations for this program. This information is
needed and used by the Department to make grants.
The Secretary estimates that this information collection will
decrease the current estimated burden of 155 hours per response to 100
hours per response. The estimated burden includes the time for
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the
application to be submitted. Competitions for the Foreign Language and
Area Studies Fellowships Program are held every three years, with
approximately 160 respondents per competition.
Organizations and individuals desiring to submit comments on the
information collection requirements should direct them to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Room 10235, New Executive
Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20503; Attention: Wendy Taylor.
The Department considers comments by the public on this proposed
collection of information in--
* Evaluating whether the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the
Department, including whether the information will have practical
utility;
* Evaluating the accuracy of the Department's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
* Enhancing the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
* Minimizing the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology; e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses.
OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of
information contained in these proposed regulations between 30 and 60
days after publication of this document in the Federal Register.
Therefore, a comment to OMB is best assured of having its full effect
if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication. This does not affect
the deadline for the public to comment to the Department on the
proposed regulations.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. The objective of the
Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a
strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and
local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for
this program.
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Invitation to Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding these proposed regulations. All comments
submitted in response to these proposed regulations will be available
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Suite
600B, Portals Building, 1280 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday of
each week, except Federal holidays.
Assessment of Educational Impact
The Secretary particularly requests comments on whether the
proposed regulations in this document would require transmission of
information that is being gathered by or is available from any other
agency or authority of the United States.
List of Subjects in 34 CFR Part 657
Colleges and universities, Education, International education,
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.015)
Dated: March 25, 1996.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
The Secretary proposes to amend Title 34 of the Code of Federal
Regulations by revising Part 657 as follows:
PART 657--FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND AREA STUDIES FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM
1. The authority citation for Part 657 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1122, unless otherwise noted.
Sec. 657.1 [Amended]
2. Section 657.1 is amended by revising the heading by removing the
word ``Fellowship'' and adding, in its place, the word ``Fellowships''
and by removing the word ``advanced'' and adding, in its place,
``graduate'' in paragraph (a).
Sec. 657.2 [Amended]
3. Section 657.2 is amended by removing ``or the Undergraduate
International Studies and Foreign Language Program, 34 CFR part 658,''
in paragraph (d).
Sec. 657.3 [Amended]
4. Section 657.3 is amended by removing paragraph (a)(3), adding
the word ``or'' at the end of paragraph (a)(1), and removing the word
``or'' at the end of paragraph (a)(2).
5. Section 657.20 is amended by revising paragraph (b) to read as
follows:
Sec. 657.20 How does the Secretary evaluate an institutional
application for an allocation of fellowships?
* * * * *
(b) In general, the Secretary awards up to 140 possible points for
these criteria. However, if priority criteria are used, the Secretary
awards up to 150 possible points. The maximum possible points for each
criterion are shown in parentheses.
6. Section 657.21 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 657.21 What criteria does the Secretary use in selecting
institutions for an allocation of fellowships?
(a) Foreign language and area studies fellowships awardee selection
procedures. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each application to
determine--
(1) Whether the selection plan is of high quality, showing how
awards will be advertised, how students apply, what selection criteria
are used, who selects the fellows, when each step will take place, and
how the process will result in awards being made to correspond to any
announced priorities; and
(2) Whether the applicant provides information about current and
prospective applicant/award ratios.
(b) Quality of staff resources. (15 points) The Secretary reviews
each application to determine--
(1) The extent to which teaching faculty and other staff are
qualified for the current and proposed activities and training
programs, are provided professional development opportunities
(including overseas experience), and participate in teaching,
supervising, and advising students (5 points);
(2) The adequacy of applicant staffing and oversight arrangements
and the extent to which faculty from a variety of departments,
professional schools, and the library are involved (5 points); and
(3) The extent to which the applicant, as part of its
nondiscriminatory employment practices, encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have been
traditionally underrepresented, such as members of racial or ethnic
minority groups, women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly (5
points).
(c) Impact and evaluation. (20 points) The Secretary reviews each
application to determine--
(1) The extent to which the applicant's activities and training
programs have contributed to an improved supply of specialists on the
program's subject as shown through indices such as graduate enrollments
and placement data; and the extent to which the applicant supplies a
clear description of how the applicant will provide equal access and
treatment of eligible project participants who are members of groups
that have been traditionally underrepresented, such as members of
racial or ethnic minority groups, women, persons with disabilities, and
the elderly (15 points); and
(2) The extent to which the applicant provides an evaluation plan
that will be comprehensive and objective and that will produce
quantifiable, outcome-measure-oriented data; and the extent to which
recent evaluations have been used to improve the applicant's program (5
points).
(d) Commitment to the subject area on which the applicant or
program focuses. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each application to
determine--
(1) The extent to which the institution provides financial and
other support to the operation of the applicant, teaching staff for the
applicant's subject area, library resources, and linkages with
institutions abroad (5 points); and
(2) The extent to which the institution provides financial support
to graduate students in fields related to the applicant's teaching
program (5 points).
(e) Strength of library. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each
application to determine--
(1) The strength of the institution's library holdings (both print
and non-print, English and foreign language) for graduate students; and
the extent to which the institution provides financial support for the
acquisition of library materials and for library staff in the subject
area of the applicant (10 points); and
(2) The extent to which research materials at other institutions
are available to students through cooperative arrangements with other
libraries or on-line databases (5 points).
(f) Quality of the applicant's non-language instructional program.
(25 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine--
(1) The quality and extent of the applicant's course offerings in a
variety of disciplines, including the extent to which courses in the
applicant's subject matter are available in the institution's
professional schools (10 points);
(2) The extent to which the applicant offers depth of specialized
course coverage in one or more disciplines on the applicant's subject
area (5 points);
(3) The extent to which the institution employs a sufficient number
of teaching faculty to enable the applicant to carry out its purposes
and the extent to which
[[Page 14011]]
teaching assistants are provided with pedagogy training (5 points); and
(4) The extent to which interdisciplinary courses are offered for
graduate students (5 points).
(g) Quality of the applicant's language instructional program. (20
points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine--
(1) The extent to which the applicant provides instruction in the
languages of the applicant's subject area and the extent to which
students enroll in those language courses (5 points);
(2) The extent to which the applicant provides three or more levels
of language training and the extent to which courses in disciplines
other than language, linguistics, and literature are offered in
appropriate foreign languages (5 points);
(3) Whether sufficient numbers of language faculty are available to
teach the languages and levels of instruction described in the
application and the extent to which language teaching staff (including
faculty and teaching assistants) have been exposed to current language
pedagogy training appropriate for performance-based teaching (5
points); and
(4) The quality of the language program as measured by the
performance-based instruction being used or developed, the adequacy of
resources for language teaching and practice, and language proficiency
requirements (5 points).
(h) Quality of curriculum design. (20 points) The Secretary reviews
each application to determine--
(1) The extent to which the applicant's curriculum provides
training options for graduate students from a variety of disciplines
and professional fields and the extent to which these programs and
their requirements (including language requirements) are appropriate
for an applicant in this subject area and result in graduate training
programs of high quality (10 points);
(2) The extent to which the applicant provides academic and career
advising services for students (5 points); and
(3) The extent to which the applicant has established formal
arrangements for students to conduct research or study abroad and the
extent to which these arrangements are used; and the extent to which
the institution facilitates student access to other institutions' study
abroad and summer language programs (5 points).
(i) Priorities. (10 points) If one or more priorities have been
established under Sec. 657.22, the Secretary reviews each application
for information that shows the extent to which the center or program
meets these priorities.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1122)
7. Section 657.31 is amended by revising paragraphs (a)(2) and
(b)(1), and adding new paragraph (a)(3) to read as follows:
Sec. 657.31 What is the amount of a fellowship?
(a) * * *
(2) Each fellowship includes an institutional payment and a
subsistence allowance to be determined by the Secretary.
(3) If the institutional payment determined by the Secretary is
greater than the tuition and fees charged by the institution, the
institutional payment portion of the fellowship is limited to actual
tuition and fees. The difference between actual tuition and fees and
the Secretary's institutional payment shall be used to fund additional
fellowships to the extent that funds are available for a full
subsistence allowance.
(4) If permitted by the Secretary, the fellowship may include an
allowance for travel and an allowance for dependents.
(b) The Secretary announces in an application notice published in
the Federal Register--
(1) The amounts of the subsistence allowance and the institutional
payment for an academic year and the subsistence allowance and the
institutional payment for a summer session;
* * * * *
8. Section 657.32 is amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read
as follows:
Sec. 657.32 What is the payment procedure for fellowships?
* * * * *
(d) Funds not used by one recipient for reasons of withdrawal are
to be used for alternate recipients to the extent that funds are
available for a full subsistence allowance.
9. Section 657.33 is amended by revising paragraph (b) to read as
follows:
Sec. 657.33 What are the limitations on the use of funds for overseas
fellowships?
* * * * *
(b) The Secretary may approve the use of a fellowship outside the
United States if the student is--
(1) Enrolled in an overseas program approved by the institution at
which the student is enrolled in the United States for study at an
intermediate or advanced level or at the beginning level if appropriate
equivalent instruction is not available in the United States; or
(2) Engaged during the academic year in research that cannot be
done effectively in the United States and is affiliated with an
institution of higher education or other appropriate organization in
the host country.
[FR Doc. 96-7593 Filed 3-27-96; 8:45 am]
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