$750,000 as an aggregate total of new and continuing grants.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1134m)

$648.6 What is the duration of a grant?

The duration of a grant awarded under this part is a maximum of three annual budget periods during a threeyear (36-month) project period.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1134m)

$648.7 What is the institutional matching contribution?

An institution shall provide, from non-Federal funds, an institutional matching contribution equal to at least 25 percent of the amount of the grant received under this part, for the uses indicated in §648.63. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 11340, 1134p)

§ 648.8 What regulations apply?

The following regulations apply to this program:

(a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) as follows:

(1) 34 CFR Part 74 (Administration of Grants to Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Nonprofit Organizations).

(2) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant Programs).

(3) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions that Apply to Department Regulations).

(4) 34 CFR Part 79 (Intergovernmental Review of Department of Education Programs and Activities).

(5) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions on Lobbying).

(6) 34 CFR Part 85 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension Government

(Nonprocurement) and

wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)).

(7) 34 CFR Part 86 (Drug-Free Schools and Campuses).

(b) The regulations in this part. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 11341, 1134m)

§ 648.9 What definitions apply?

(a) Definitions in EDGAR. The following terms used in this part are defined in 34 CFR 77.1:

Applicant

Application

Award

Budget

Budget period Department

EDGAR Equipment Grant Nonprofit Project period Secretary Supplies

(b) Other definitions. The following definitions also apply to this part:

Academic department means any department, program, unit, or any other administrative subdivision of an institution of higher education that

(i) Directly administers or supervises post-baccalaureate instruction in a specific discipline; and

(ii) Has the authority to award academic course credit acceptable to meet degree requirements at an institution of higher education.

Academic field means an area of study in an academic department within an institution of higher education other than a school or department of divinity.

Academic year means the 12-month period commencing with the fall instructional term of the institution.

Application period means the period in which the Secretary solicits applications for this program.

Discipline means a branch of instruction or learning.

Eligible non-degree granting institution means any institution that

(i) Conducts post-baccalaureate academic programs of study but does not award doctoral degrees in an area of national need;

(ii) Is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the Code;

(iii) Is organized and operated substantially to conduct scientific and cultural research and graduate training programs;

(iv) Is not a private foundation;

(v) Has academic personnel for instruction and counseling who meet the standards of the institution of higher education in which the students are enrolled; and

(vi) Has necessary research resources not otherwise readily available in the

institutions in which students are enrolled.

Fees mean non-refundable charges paid by a graduate student for services, materials, and supplies that are not included within the tuition charged by the institution in which the student is enrolled.

Fellow means a recipient of a fellowship under this part.

Fellowship means an award made by an institution of higher education to an individual for graduate study under this part at the institution of higher education.

Financial need means the fellow's financial need as determined under title IV, part F, of the HEA for the period of the fellow's enrollment in the approved academic field of study for which the fellowship was awarded.

General operational overhead means non-instructional expenses incurred by an academic department in the normal administration and conduct of its academic program, including the costs of supervision, recruitment, capital outlay, debt service, indirect costs, or any other costs not included in the determination of tuition and non-refundable fee charges.

Graduate student means an individual enrolled in a program of post-baccalaureate study at an institution of higher education.

Graduate study means any program of postbaccalaureate study at an institution of higher education.

HEA means the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

Highest possible degree available means a doctorate in an academic field or a master's degree, professional degree, or other post-baccalaureate degree if a doctorate is not available in that academic field.

Institution of higher education (Institution) means an institution of higher education, other than a school or department of divinity, as defined in section 1201(a) of the HEA.

Inter-discipline means a course of study that involves academic fields in two or more disciplines.

Minority means Alaskan Native, American

Indian, Asian-American, Black (African-American), Hispanic American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander.

Multi-disciplinary application means an application that requests fellowships for more than a single academic department in areas of national need designated as priorities by the Secretary under this part.

Project means the activities necessary to assist, whether from grant funds or institutional resources, fellows in the successful completion of their designated educational programs.

Satisfactory progress means that a fellow meets or exceeds the institution's criteria and standards established for a graduate student's continued status as an applicant for the graduate degree in the academic field for which the fellowship was awarded.

School or department of divinity means an institution, or an academic department of an institution, whose program is specifically for the education of students to prepare them to become ministers of religion or to enter into some other religious vocation or to prepare them to teach theological subjects. Students traditionally underrepresented backgrounds mean women and minorities who traditionally are underrepresented in areas of national need as designated by the Secretary.

from

Supervised training means training provided to fellows under the guidance and direction of faculty in the academic department.

Tuition means the charge for instruction by the institution of higher education in which the fellow is enrolled.

Underrepresented in areas of national need means proportionate representation as measured by degree recipients, that is less than the proportionate representation in the general population, as indicated by

(i) The most current edition of the Department's Digest of Educational Statistics;

(ii) The National Research Council's Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities;

(iii) Other standard statistical references, as announced annually in the FEDERAL REGISTER notice inviting applications for new awards under this program; or

(iv) As documented by national survey data submitted to and accepted by the Secretary on a case-by-case basis. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 11341-1134q)

Subpart B-How Does an Institution of Higher Education Apply for a Grant?

$648.20 How does an institution of higher education apply for a grant?

(a) To apply for a grant under this part, an institution of higher education shall submit an application that responds to the appropriate selection criteria in §648.31.

(b) In addition, an application for a grant must

(1) Describe the current academic program for which the grant is sought; (2) Request a specific number of fellowships to be awarded on a full-time basis for the academic year covered under the grant in each academic field included in the application;

(3) Set forth policies and procedures to ensure that in making fellowship awards under this part the institution will seek talented students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds;

(4) Set forth policies and procedures to assure that in making fellowship awards under this part the institution will make awards to individuals who satisfy the requirements of § 648.40;

(5) Set forth policies and procedures to ensure that Federal funds made available under this part for any fiscal year will be used to supplement and, to the extent practical, increase the funds that otherwise would be made available for the purposes of this part and, in no case, to supplant those funds;

(6) Provide assurances that the institution will provide the institutional matching contribution described in §648.7;

(7) Provide assurances that, in the event that funds made available to the academic department under this part are insufficient to provide the assistance due a student under the commitment entered into between the academic department and the student, the academic department will endeavor, from any funds available to it, to fulfill the commitment to the student;

(8) Provide that the institution will comply with the requirements in subpart F; and

(9) Provide assurances that the academic department will provide at least one year of supervised training in instruction to students receiving fellowships under this program.

(c) In any application period, an academic department may not submit more than one application for new awards.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1840-0604) (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 11340)

Subpart C-How Does the
Secretary Make an Award?

§ 648.30 How does the Secretary evaluate an application?

(a) The Secretary evaluates an application on the basis of the criteria in § 648.31.

(b) The Secretary awards up to 100 points for these criteria.

(c) The maximum possible score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1134m, 11340)

$648.31 What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

The Secretary uses the following criteria to evaluate an application:

(a) Meeting the purposes of the program. (7 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine how well the project will meet the purposes of the program, including the extent to which

(1) The applicant's general and specific objectives for the project are realistic and measurable;

(2) The applicant's objectives for the project seek to sustain and enhance the capacity for teaching and research at the institution and at State, regional, or national levels;

(3) The applicant's objectives seek to institute policies and procedures to ensure the enrollment of talented graduate students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds; and

(4) The applicant's objectives seek to institute policies and procedures to ensure that it will award fellowships to

individuals who satisfy the requirements of §648.40.

(b) Extent of need for the project. (5 points) The Secretary considers the extent to which a grant under the program is needed by the academic department by considering—

(1) How the applicant identified the problems that form the specific needs of the project;

(2) The specific problems to be resolved by successful realization of the goals and objectives of the project; and (3) How increasing the number of fellowships will meet the specific and general objectives of the project.

(c) Quality of the graduate academic program. (25 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the current graduate academic program for which project funding is sought, including—

(1) The course offerings and academic requirements for the graduate pro

gram;

(2) The qualifications of the faculty, including education, research interest, publications, teaching ability, and accessibility to graduate students;

(3) The focus and capacity for research; and

(4) Any other evidence the applicant deems appropriate to demonstrate the quality of its academic program.

(d) Quality of the supervised teaching experience. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the teaching experience the applicant plans to provide fellows under this program, including the extent to which the project

(1) Provides each fellow with the required supervised training in instruction;

(2) Provides adequate instruction on effective teaching techniques;

(3) Provides extensive supervision of each fellow's teaching performance; and

(4) Provides adequate and appropriate evaluation of the fellow's teaching performance.

(e) Recruitment plan. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the applicant's recruitment plan, including

(1) How the applicant plans to identify, recruit, and retain students from traditionally underrepresented back

grounds in the academic program for which fellowships are sought;

(2) How the applicant plans to identify eligible students for fellowships;

(3) The past success of the academic department in enrolling talented graduate students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds; and

(4) The past success of the academic department in enrolling talented graduate students for its academic program.

(f) Project administration. (7 points) The Secretary reviews the quality of the proposed project administration, including

(1) How the applicant will select fellows, including how the applicant will ensure that project participants who are otherwise eligible to participate are selected without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disabling condition;

(2) How the applicant proposes to monitor whether a fellow is making satisfactory progress toward the degree for which the fellowship has been awarded;

(3) How the applicant proposes to identify and meet the academic needs of fellows;

(4) How the applicant proposes to maintain enrollment of graduate students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds; and

Institutional

(g) commitment. (16 points) The Secretary reviews each application for evidence that

(1) The applicant will provide, from any funds available to it, sufficient funds to support the financial needs of the fellows if the funds made available under the program are insufficient;

(2) The institution's social and academic environment is supportive of the academic success of students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds on the applicant's campus;

(3) Students receiving fellowships under this program will receive stipend support for the time necessary to com

plete their courses of study, but in no case longer than 5 years; and

(4) The applicant demonstrates a financial commitment, including the nature and amount of the institutional matching contribution, and other institutional commitments that are likely to ensure the continuation of project activities for a significant period of time following the period in which the project receives Federal financial assistance.

(h) Quality of key personnel. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of key personnel the applicant plans to use on the project, including

(1) The qualifications of the project director;

(2) The qualifications of other key personnel to be used in the project;

(3) The time commitment of key personnel, including the project director, to the project; and

(4) How the applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment practices, will ensure that its personnel are selected without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disabling condition, except pursuant to a lawful affirmative action plan.

(1) Budget. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which

(1) The applicant shows a clear understanding of the acceptable uses of program funds; and

(2) The costs of the project are reasonable in relation to the objectives of the project.

(j) Evaluation plan. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the evaluation plan for the project, including the extent to which the applicant's methods of evaluation

(1) Relate to the specific goals and measurable objectives of the project;

(2) Assess the effect of the project on the students receiving fellowships under this program, including the effect on persons of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, genders, and ages, and on persons with disabilities who are served by the project;

(3) List both process and product evaluation questions for each project activity and outcome, including those of the management plan;

(4) Describe both the process and product evaluation measures for each project activity and outcome;

(5) Describe the data collection procedures, instruments, and schedules for effective data collection;

(6) Describe how the applicant will analyze and report the data so that it can make adjustments and improvements on a regular basis; and

(7) Include a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other project component processes and benchmarks.

(k) Adequacy of resources. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the adequacy of the resources that the applicant makes available to graduate students receiving fellowships under this program, including facilities, equipment, and supplies.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1840-0604) (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1134m-1134p)

$648.32 What additional factors does the Secretary consider?

(a) Continuation awards. (1) Before funding new applications, the Secretary gives preference to grantees requesting their second or third year of funding.

(2) If appropriations for this program are insufficient to fund all continuation grantees for the second and third years at the approved funding level, the Secretary prorates the available funds, if any, among the continuation grantees and, if necessary, awards continuation grants of less than $100,000.

(b) Equitable distribution. In awarding grants, the Secretary will, consistent with an allocation of awards based on the quality of competing applications, ensure the following:

(1) An equitable geographic distribution of grants to eligible applicant institutions of higher education.