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

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

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 psb@reeusda.gov 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

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] BILLING CODE 3410-22-P