Higher Education Challenge Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2000; Request for Proposals and Request for Input

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

Higher Education Challenge Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2000;

Request for Proposals and Request for Input

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of request for proposals and request for input.

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SUMMARY: The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension

Service (CSREES) is announcing the Higher Education Challenge Grants

Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000. Proposals are hereby requested from

eligible institutions as identified herein for competitive

consideration of Challenge Grant awards. CSREES also is soliciting

comments regarding this request for proposals from any interested

party. These comments will be considered in the development of the next

request for proposals for this program. Such comments will be forwarded

to the Secretary or his designee for use in meeting the requirements of

section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and

Education Reform Act of 1998.

DATES: Proposals must be received on or before February 14, 2000.

Proposals received after the closing date will not be considered for

funding. Forms indicating intent to submit a proposal are due on

January 17, 2000. User comments are requested within six months from

the issuance of the request for proposals. Comments received after that

date will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Hand-delivered proposals (brought in person by the applicant

or through a courier service) must be received on or before March 6,

2000, at the following address: Challenge Grants Program; c/o Proposal

Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Room 303, Aerospace Center, 901 D Street, SW; Washington,

DC 20024. The telephone number is (202) 401-5048. Proposals transmitted

via a facsimile (fax) machine will not be accepted.

Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail must be received on or

before February 14, 2000. Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail

should be sent to the following address: Challenge Grants Program; c/o

Proposal Services Unit, Office of Extramural Programs, Cooperative

State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, STOP 2245, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC

20250-2245.

Form CSREES-711, ``Intent to Submit a Proposal,'' is requested for

the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program and is due February 7,

2000. Applicants may either mail Form CSREES-711 to Higher Education

Programs, Mail Stop 2251; CSREES-USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20250-2251, or fax Form CSREES-711 to the Higher

Education Programs office at (202) 720-2030.

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Written user comments should be submitted by first-class mail to:

Policy and Program Liaison Staff, Office of Extramural Programs, USDA-

CSREES, STOP 2299; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-

2299; or via e-mail to: [email protected] In your comments, please

include the name of the program and the fiscal year of the request for

proposals to which you are responding.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey L. Gilmore, Ph.D., Higher

Education Programs, Cooperative State Research, Education, and

Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 2251, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-2251; telephone: (202)

720-2211; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

A. Administrative Provisions and Legislative Authority

B. Program Description

C. Evaluation Criteria

D. How to Obtain Application Materials

E. Submission of a Proposal

F. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

G. Stakeholder Input

A. Administrative Provisions and Legislative Authority

This Program is subject to the provisions found at 7 CFR Part 3405.

These provisions set forth procedures to be followed when submitting

grant proposals, rules governing the evaluation of proposals and the

awarding of grants, and regulations relating to the post-award

administration of grant projects.

This program is authorized by section 1417(b)(1) of the National

Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as

amended (NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(1)).

B. Program Description

Proposals may be submitted by land-grant and other U.S. colleges

and universities offering a baccalaureate degree or first professional

degree in at least one discipline or area of the food and agricultural

sciences and having a demonstrable capacity for, and a significant

ongoing commitment to, the teaching of food and agricultural sciences

generally and to the specific need and/or subject area(s) for which a

grant is requested. For FY 2000, grants will be made to U.S. colleges

and universities to strengthen their baccalaureate-level teaching

programs in the food and agricultural sciences. Proposals directed to

the first professional degree in veterinary medicine also are requested

for this program. Other projects directed to the graduate level of

study will not be supported. An institution eligible under this program

includes a research foundation maintained by an eligible college or

university. For the purposes of this program, the individual branches

of a State university system or public system of higher education, that

are separately accredited at the college level as degree granting

institutions, are treated as separate institutions. It is intended that

projects supported by the program will: (1) Address a State, regional,

national, or international educational need; (2) involve a creative or

nontraditional approach toward addressing that need which can serve as

a model to others; (3) encourage and facilitate better working

relationships in the university science and education community, as

well as between universities and the private sector, to enhance program

quality and supplement available resources; and (4) result in benefits

which will likely transcend the project duration and USDA support.

CSREES anticipates that the total amount available for project

grants under this program in FY 2000 will be approximately $4,082,000.

Projects may be for 18-36 months duration. Grant awards must be matched

on a one-for-one basis from a non-Federal source(s). Awards may be up

to $100,000 for regular or complementary projects, and up to $250,000

for a joint project. (Please refer to the Administrative Provisions at

7 CFR 3405.2 for the definitions of complementary and joint project

proposals.)

Pursuant to section 1462 of NARETPA, 7 U.S.C. 3310, indirect costs

charged against a grant award under this program may not exceed 19

percent of the total Federal funds provided under the award. An

alternate method to calculate this limit is to multiply total direct

costs by 23.456 percent.

For FY 2000, a maximum of two grants may be awarded to any one

institution under the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program. This

ceiling excludes any subcontracts awarded to an institution pursuant to

other grants issued under this program. In FY 2000, there are no limits

on the total funds that may be awarded to any one institution. The

award of any grants under this program is subject to the availability

of appropriations.

The Administrative Provisions require applicant institutions

receiving grant awards for joint project proposals to transfer at least

one-half of the awarded funds to the two or more other colleges,

universities, community colleges, or other institutions assuming a

major role in the conduct of the project. For FY 2000, the applicant

institution submitting a joint project proposal must retain at least 30

percent of awarded funds to demonstrate a substantial involvement with

the project.

For a joint project proposal, each cooperating institution also

must provide a project budget for each year of support under the grant

as well as a summary budget using Form CSREES-713.

Proposals for FY 2000 must address one or more of the following

targeted need areas: (1) Curricula Design and Materials Development;

(2) Faculty Preparation and Enhancement for Teaching; (3) Instruction

Delivery Systems; and (4) Student Experiential Learning.

C. Evaluation Criteria

NARETPA requires that certain priorities be given for teaching

enhancement projects in awarding grants under section 1417(b). CSREES

considers all applications received in response to this solicitation as

teaching enhancement project applications. To implement the NARETPA

priorities for proposals submitted for the FY 2000 competition, the

evaluation criteria used to evaluate proposals, as stated in the

Administrative Provisions (7 CFR 3405.15), have been modified to

include new criteria or extra points for proposals demonstrating

enhanced coordination among eligible institutions and for proposals

focusing on innovative, multidisciplinary education programs, material,

or curricula.

Evaluation Criterion andWeight

(a) Potential for addressing a State, regional, national or

international need: 65 points.

This criterion assesses the potential of the project to add value

by advancing the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher

education and producing graduates capable of strengthening the Nation's

food and agricultural scientific and professional work force. This

criterion includes the following elements: impact, innovation,

multidisciplinary, expected products and results, and continuation

plans.

(1) Impact--Does the project address a significant and clearly

documented State, regional, multistate, national, or international

need? Will the benefits to be derived from the project transcend the

applicant institution and/or the grant period?

(2) Innovative and Multidisciplinary Focus--Does the project focus

on innovative, multidisciplinary education programs, material, or

curricula? Is the project based on a non-traditional approach toward

solving a higher

[[Page 70689]]

education problem? Is the project relevant to multiple fields in the

food and agricultural sciences? Will the project expand partnership

ventures among disciplines at a university?

(3) Products and results--Are the expected products and/or results

of the project clearly explained? Will the project contribute to an

improvement in the quality or diversity of the Nation's food and

agricultural scientific and professional expertise base?

(4) Continuation plans--Are there plans for continuation or

expansion of the project beyond USDA support? Are there indications of

external, non-Federal support? Are there realistic plans for making the

project self-supporting?

(b) Potential of submitting institution(s) to successfully complete

project objectives: 70 points.

This criterion assesses the soundness of the proposed approach, the

adequacy of human and physical resources available to carry out the

project, the institution's commitment to the project, partnerships and

collaborative efforts involving all types of institutions, its cost-

effectiveness, and the extent to which the total budget adequately

supports the project.

(1) Proposed approach--Are the objectives achievable, logical, and

based on review of literature? Is the plan of operation managerially,

educationally, and/or scientifically sound? Is the overall plan

integrated with or does it expand upon other major efforts to improve

the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education? Is the

timetable realistic?

(2) Resources--Are there adequate institutional resources to carry

out the project? Do the project personnel possess requisite expertise

to complete successfully the project? Have personnel committed adequate

effort to achieve stated objectives and anticipated outcomes? Will the

project have adequate administrative support to carry out the proposed

activities? Will the project have access to needed resources such as

instrumentation, facilities, computer services, library, and other

instruction support resources?

(3) Institutional commitment--Is there evidence to substantiate

that the institution has a long term commitment to support the

result(s) and/or product(s) produced by this project, that it will help

satisfy the institution's high-priority objectives, or that the project

is supported by the strategic plans?

(4) Coordination and partnership efforts--Will the project

demonstrate enhanced coordination between the applicant institution(s)

and other colleges and universities with food and agricultural sciences

programs eligible for grants under this program? Will the project

expand partnership ventures among eligible colleges and universities,

or with the private sector, that are likely to enhance program quality

or supplement resources available to food and agricultural sciences

higher education? Will the arrangements for partner(s) and/or

collaborator(s) enhance dissemination of the result(s) and/or

product(s)?

(5) Budget and cost-effectiveness--Is the budget request

justifiable? Are costs reasonable and necessary? Will the total budget

be adequate to carry out project activities? Are the source(s) and

amount(s) of non-Federal matching support clearly identified and

appropriately documented? For a joint project proposal, is the shared

budget for three or more institutions explained clearly and in

sufficient detail? Is the proposed project cost-effective? Does it

demonstrate a creative use of limited resources, maximize educational

value per dollar of USDA support, achieve economies of scale, leverage

additional funds or have the potential to do so, focus expertise and

activity on a targeted need area, or promote coalition building for

current or future ventures?

(c) Effectiveness of evaluation plan and potential for

dissemination of the result(s) and/or product(s) to other institutions

and for utilization by other institutions: 65 points.

This criterion assesses the adequacy of the evaluation strategy,

the quality of outcome measures, the expertise and availability of

human resources to conduct the evaluation, the record of the key

personnel is disseminating advancements in education, e.g., publishing

educational articles in peer reviewed journals, the adequacy of the

plan for dissemination, and the potential for utilization by other

institutions.

(1) Evaluation--Does the proposal contain a well-designed plan to

evaluate results of the project? Will this plan provide conclusions

suitable for convincing a peer review audience of the accomplishment?

Does it allow for continuous and/or frequent feedback during the life

of the project? Does the evaluation plan contain outcome measures? Are

the outcome measures capable of assessing the quality and usefulness of

project results and products? Are the individuals involved in project

evaluation skilled in evaluation strategies and procedures? Can the

outcome measures provide an objective evaluation? Is the outcome

assessment designed in such a way that it can assist faculty at other

institutions in deciding whether to use project results or products?

(2) Dissemination--Is there a commitment to submit the results of

the project evaluation to peer review by the academic community in the

food and agricultural sciences? Does the proposed project include

clearly outlined and realistic mechanisms that will lead to widespread

dissemination of project results, including national electronic

communication systems, publications, presentations at professional

conferences, and/or use by faculty development or research/teaching

skills workshops?

(3) Utilization--Is it probable that other institutions will adapt

the result(s) and/or product(s) of this project for their own use? Can

the project serve as a model for others? If successful, is the project

likely to lead to education reform? Is the product(s) and/or result(s)

likely to provide a significant contribution to the advancement of

higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? Are partner(s)

and/or collaborator(s) committed to utilize the product(s) and/or

result(s)?

D. How to Obtain Application Materials

An Application Kit containing program application materials will be

made available to eligible institutions upon request. These materials

include the Administrative Provisions, forms, instructions, and other

relevant information needed to prepare and submit grant applications.

Copies of the Application Kit may be requested from the Proposal

Services Unit, Office of Extramural Programs, Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC

20250-2245. The telephone number is (202) 401-5048. When contacting the

Proposal Services Unit, please indicate that you are requesting forms

for the FY 2000 Challenge Grants Program.

Application materials may also be requested via Internet by sending

a message with your name, mailing address (not e-mail) and telephone

number to [email protected] that states that you wish to receive a copy

of the application materials for the FY 2000 Challenge Grants Program.

The materials will then be mailed to you (not e-mailed) as quickly as

possible.

E. Submission of a Proposal

An original and seven (7) copies of a proposal must be submitted.

Proposals should contain all requested information when submitted.

Further information regarding proposal submission is provided in the

Program

[[Page 70690]]

Announcement in the FY 2000 Application Kit.

F. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance under No. 10.217, Higher Education Challenge Grants Program.

G. Stakeholder Input

CSREES is soliciting comments regarding this solicitation of

applications from any interested party. These comments will be

considered in the development of the next request for proposals for the

program. Such comments will be forwarded to the Secretary or his

designee for use in meeting the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of

the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998

(7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2)). Written comments should be submitted by first-

class mail to: Policy and Program Liaison Staff, Office of Extramural

Programs, USDA-CSREES; STOP 2299, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250-2299; or via e-mail to: [email protected] (This

e-mail address is intended only for receiving stakeholder input

comments regarding this RFP, and not for requesting information or

forms.)

In your comments, please indicate that you are responding to the FY

2000 Higher Education Challenge Grants Program. Submissions of comments

are requested within six months from the issuance of the solicitation

of applications. Comments received after that date will be considered

to the extent practicable.

Done at Washington, D.C., this 10th day of December 1999.

Charles W. Laughlin,

Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension

Service.

[FR Doc. 99-32732 Filed 12-16-99; 8:45 am]

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