Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) Certification Process
This amendment to NIFA regulations updates the list of institutions that are granted Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) certification by the Secreta...
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION:
Final rule.
SUMMARY:
This amendment to NIFA regulations updates the list of institutions that are granted Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2021, and ending September 30, 2022.
DATES:
This rule is effective March 31, 2022 and applicable October 1, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amanda Sahinovic; Financial Policy Specialist; National Institute of Food and Agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture; 805 Pennsylvania Ave.; Kansas City, MO 64105; Voice: 816-266-9905; Email:
HSACU@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
HSACU Institutions for Fiscal Year 2019:
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, 2021, and ending September 30, 2022.
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 be designated an 1862 land-grant institution, (4) not appear on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), (5) be accredited, and (6) 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 2019-20 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 2018-19 and 2019-20 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.
The updated list of HSACUs is based on (1) completions data from 2018-19 and 2019-20, and (2) enrollment data from Fall 2020. NIFA identified 158 institutions that met the eligibility criteria to receive HSACU certification for FY 2022 (October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022).
Section 7102 of the Agriculture Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334) amended Section 1404(14) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(14)) to remove the opt-in, opt-out language for Hispanic Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) in order to apply for Non Land-Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCA) designation.
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 public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts. 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. 601et seq.,
or the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801et 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. 3501et seq.).
Appendix B to Part 3434—List of HSACU Institutions, 2021-2022
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, 2021 and ending September 30, 2022. Institutions are listed alphabetically under the state of the school's location, with the campus indicated where applicable.
Arkansas (1)
Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas