Institute for International Public Policy

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Institute for International Public Policy

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed definitions and proposed priority for fiscal

year 1994.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes a competitive priority for fiscal year

(FY) 1994 under the Institute for International Public Policy program.

This program is designed to significantly increase the number of

African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and other underrepresented

minorities in the international service. The Secretary takes this

action to focus Federal financial assistance on this identified

national need. The priority is intended to encourage applicants to

develop consortial arrangements that include historically Black

colleges and universities, institutions of higher education serving

substantial numbers of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, or other

underrepresented minority students, and institutions of higher

education with programs to train foreign service professionals.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 9, 1994.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this proposed priority should be

addressed to Ralph Hines, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202-5332.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ralph Hines. Telephone: (202) 732-

6066. 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: The Institute for International Public

Policy program will provide a grant to a consortium of institutions of

higher education to conduct a program designed to significantly

increase the number of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and other

underrepresented minorities in the international service.

Title VI, Part C, section 621 of the Higher Education Act of 1965,

as amended, states that an eligible recipient is a consortium that

consists of at least one or more from each of the following categories:

(1) An institution eligible for assistance under Part B of title III of

the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended; (2) an institution of

higher education that serves substantial numbers of African Americans

or other underrepresented minority students; and (3) an institution of

higher education with programs in training foreign service

professionals.

Many of the students this program is designed to serve are enrolled

in institutions in categories (1) and (2). The Secretary believes that

the purposes of the legislation can be best carried out by a consortium

that includes at least one institution from categories (1), (2), and

(3). Therefore, the Secretary proposes to establish a competitive

priority for applications from consortia that include historically

Black colleges and universities, institutions serving substantial

numbers of African Americans, Hispanic Americans or other

underrepresented minorities, and institutions that offer programs to

train foreign service professionals.

The Secretary will announce the final priority in a notice in the

Federal Register. The final priority will be determined by responses to

this notice, and other considerations of the Department. Funding of the

grant depends on the nature of the final priority and the quality of

the applications received. The publication of this proposed priority

does not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional priorities,

nor does it limit the Secretary to funding only this priority, subject

to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

Note: This notice of proposed priority does not solicit

applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition

will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or

following publication of the notice of final priority.

Priority

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) the Secretary proposes to give

preference to applications that meet the following competitive

priority. The Secretary proposes to award 15 points to an application

that meets this competitive priority in a particularly effective way.

These points would be in addition to any points the application earns

under the selection criteria for this program:

Consortia that include at least one institution from each of the

following categories: (1) Historically Black colleges and universities

as defined in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as

amended; (2) institutions of higher education that serve substantial

numbers of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, or other

underrepresented minority students; and (3) institutions of higher

education with programs in training foreign service professionals.

Definitions

The statute states that one of the members of an eligible

consortium may be an institution of higher education that serves

substantial numbers of African American or other underrepresented

minority students. The Secretary proposes to define ``substantial'' to

mean at least 25 percent of the enrolled undergraduate student

population at an institution. The Secretary also proposes to define

``underrepresented minorities'' to include African Americans, Hispanic

Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Native

Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

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 this order, this document is intended to provide

early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for

this program.

Invitation to Comment

Interested persons are invited to submit comments and

recommendations regarding this proposed priority.

All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available

for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in suite

2100, 490 L'Enfant Plaza East, Washington, DC, between the hours of

8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except Federal

holidays.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1131-1131f.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.269)

Dated: March 31, 1994.

David A. Longanecker,

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

[FR Doc. 94-8406 Filed 4-7-94; 8:45 am]

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