81 FR 5575 - Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU)

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 22 (February 3, 2016)

This rule updates the list of institutions that are granted HSACU certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2015, and ending September 30, 2016.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 5575-5577]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01893]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

7 CFR Part 3434

RIN 0524-AA39


Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU)

AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This rule updates the list of institutions that are granted 
HSACU certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU 
programs for the period starting October 1, 2015, and ending September 
30, 2016.

DATES: This rule is effective February 3, 2016 and applicable October 
1, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa DePaolo; Policy Analyst; National 
Institute of Food and Agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 
2272; 1400 Independence Avenue SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2272; Voice: 
202-401-5061; Fax: 202-401-7752; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

HSACU Institutions for Fiscal Year 2016

    This rule makes changes to the existing list of institutions in 
Appendix B of 7 CFR part 3434. The list of institutions is amended to 
reflect the institutions that are granted HSACU certification by the 
Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting 
October 1, 2015, and ending September 30, 2016.

Certification Process

    As stated in 7 CFR 3434.4, an institution must meet the following 
criteria to receive HSACU certification: (1) Be a Hispanic-Serving 
Institution (HSI), (2) offer agriculture-related degrees, (3) not 
appear on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), (4) be accredited, 
and (5) award at least 15% of agriculture-related degrees to Hispanic 
students over the two most recent academic years.
    NIFA obtained the latest report from the U.S. Department of 
Education's National Center for Education Statistics that lists all 
HSIs and the degrees conferred by these institutions (completion data) 
during the 2013-14 academic year. NIFA used this report to identify 
HSIs that conferred a degree in an instructional program that appears 
in Appendix A of 7 CFR part 3434 and to confirm that over the 2012-13 
and 2013-14 academic years at least 15% of the degrees in agriculture-
related fields were awarded to Hispanic students. NIFA further 
confirmed that these institutions were nationally accredited and were 
not listed in the System for Award Management (https://www.sam.gov) 
with exclusions.
    The updated list of HSACUs is based on (1) completions data from 
2012-13 and 2013-14, and (2) enrollment data from Fall 2014. NIFA 
identified 101 institutions that met the eligibility criteria to 
receive HSACU certification

[[Page 5576]]

for FY 2016 (October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016).

Declaration of Intent To Apply for NLGCA Designation

    As set forth in Section 7101 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. 
L. 113-79), which amends 7 U.S.C. 3103, an institution that is eligible 
to be designated as an HSACU may notify the Secretary of its intent not 
to be considered an HSACU. To opt out of designation as an HSACU, an 
authorized official at the institution must submit a declaration of 
intent not to be considered an HSACU to NIFA by email at 
[email protected]. In accordance with Section 7101, a 
declaration by an institution not to be considered an HSACU shall 
remain in effect until September 30, 2018. Institutions that opt out of 
HSACU designation will have the option to apply for designation as a 
Non-Land Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCA) institution. To be 
eligible for NLGCA designation, institutions must be public colleges or 
universities offering baccalaureate or higher degrees in the study of 
food and agricultural sciences, as defined in 7 U.S.C. 3103. An online 
form to request NLGCA designation is available at http://nifa.usda.gov/webform/request-non-land-grant-college-agriculture-designation.
    In FY 2014 and FY 2015, six institutions opted out of their HSACU 
designation and received NLGCA designation, hence they are excluded 
from the FY 2016 HSACU list.

Appeal Process

    As set forth in 7 CFR 3434.8, NIFA will permit HSIs that are not 
granted HSACU certification to submit an appeal within 30 days of the 
publication of this notice.

Classification

    This rule relates to internal agency management. Accordingly, 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553, notice of proposed rulemaking and opportunity 
for comment are not required, and this rule may be made effective less 
than 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. This rule also 
is exempt from the provisions of Executive Order 12866. This action is 
not a rule as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended by 
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, 5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq., or the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et 
seq., and thus is exempt from the provisions of those Acts. This rule 
contains no information collection or recordkeeping requirements under 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 3434

    Administrative practice and procedure; Agricultural research, 
education, extension; Hispanic-Serving Institutions; Federal 
assistance.

    Title 7, part 3434, of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended 
accordingly as set forth below:

PART 3434--HISPANIC-SERVING AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 
CERTIFICATION PROCESS

0
1. The authority citation for Part 3434 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 3103.


0
2. Revise part 3434 Appendix B to read as follows:

Appendix B to Part 3434--List of HSACU Institutions, 2015-2016

    The institutions listed in this appendix are granted HSACU 
certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs 
for the period starting October 1, 2015, and ending September 30, 
2016. Institutions are listed alphabetically under the state of the 
school's location, with the campus indicated where applicable.

Arizona (3)

Arizona Western College
Cochise College
Phoenix College

California (39)

Allan Hancock College
Antelope Valley College
Antioch University--Los Angeles
Bakersfield College
California Baptist University
California Lutheran University
California State University--Dominquez Hills
California State University--East Bay
California State University--Long Beach
California State University--San Bernardino
College of San Mateo
College of the Desert
College of the Sequoias
El Camino Community College District
Fullerton College
Golden West College
Hartnell College
Imperial Valley College
Long Beach City College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Mendocino College
Merced College
MiraCosta College
Modesto Junior College
Monterey Peninsula College
Mt. San Antonio College
Mt. San Jacinto Community College District
National University
Pacific Union College
Porterville College
Reedley College
Saddleback College
Saint Mary's College of California
San Diego City College
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Santa Ana College
University of California-Riverside
University of La Verne
West Hills College Coalinga
Whittier College

Colorado (1)

Trinidad State Junior College

Florida (5)

Broward College
Florida International University
Miami Dade College
Nova Southeastern University
Valencia College

Nevada (2)

College of Southern Nevada
Truckee Meadows Community College

New Jersey (2)

Saint Peter's University
William Paterson University of New Jersey

New Mexico (9)

Central New Mexico Community College
Eastern New Mexico University--Main Campus
Eastern New Mexico University--Ruidoso Campus
Mesalands Community College
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Northern New Mexico College
University of New Mexico--Main Campus
Western New Mexico University

New York (2)

CUNY Bronx Community College
CUNY LaGuardia Community College

Puerto Rico (15)

Bayamon Central University
Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico--Manati
Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Aguadilla
Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Bayamon
Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Metro
Inter American University of Puerto Rico--Ponce
Inter American University of Puerto Rico--San German
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico--Ponce
Universidad Del Turabo
Universidad Metropolitana
University of Puerto Rico--Arecibo
University of Puerto Rico--Humacao
University of Puerto Rico--Medical Sciences Campus
University of Puerto Rico--Rio Piedras Campus
University of Puerto Rico--Utuado

Texas (22)

Houston Community College
Lee College
Palo Alto College

[[Page 5577]]

Richland College
San Antonio College
Saint Edward's University
St. Mary's University
Southwest Texas Junior College
Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi
Texas A&M University--Kingsville
Texas State Technical College--Harlingen
Texas State University
University of Houston
University of Houston--Clear Lake
University of St. Thomas
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Brownsville
University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of the Incarnate Word

Washington (3)

Columbia Basin College
Wenatchee Valley College
Yakima Valley Community College

    Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of January, 2016.
Sonny Ramaswamy,
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2016-01893 Filed 2-2-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P