2012 hsi rfa -final 12192011.pdf

Program Solicitation

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program

Fiscal Year 2012

Closing Date:

Regular Projects Deadline: February 9, 2012 Collaboration Letter of Intent: January 10, 2012 (New Proposals) Collaboration Applications Deadline: March 8, 2012 (ALL)

HSI Program:

Telephone: 202-720-1793 Email: HSIGrants@nifa.usda.gov Internet: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/hispanic.html

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)Number:

10.223 Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program

NIFA Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-HSI-003624

United States Department of Agriculture

National Institute of Food and Agriculture mailto:HSIGrants@csrees.usda.gov http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/hispanic.html

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE;

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS EDUCATION GRANTS PROGRAM

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under 10.223, Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program.

DATES: All Regular Project applications must be received by Grants.gov by close of business (COB) on February 9, 2012 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). All Collaboration Project applications must be received by Grants.gov by close of business (COB) on March 8, 2012 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Applications received after this deadline normally will not be considered for funding.

Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within six months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after this date will be considered to the extent practicable. Letter of intent required for New Collaborations only are due January 10, 2012.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is requesting comments regarding this RFA from any interested party. These comments will be considered in the development of the next RFA for the program. Such comments will be used to meet 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)). This section requires the Secretary to solicit and consider input on a current RFA from persons who conduct or use agricultural research, education and extension for use in formulating future RFAs for competitive programs.

Comments should be submitted as provided for in the DATES portion of this Notice.

Written stakeholder comments should be submitted by mail to: Policy and Oversight Division;

Office of Grants and Financial Management; National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA;

STOP 2299; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20250-2299; or via e-mail to:

Policy@nifa.usda.gov. (This e-mail address is intended only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program RFA.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NIFA announces the availability of grant funds and requests applications for the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program for fiscal year (FY) 2012 to promote and strengthen the ability of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to carry out higher education programs that attract, retain, and graduate outstanding students capable of enhancing the nation’s food, agricultural, and natural resource scientific and professional work force. Proposed projects should strengthen the ability of HSIs to enhance their Hispanic-serving capacity and attract, retain, and increase the number of underrepresented students who graduate in food, agriculture, nutrition, and natural resources.

NIFA anticipates the total amount available for support of the HSI in FY 2012 will be approximately $9.2 million.

This notice identifies the objectives for HSI projects, the eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a HSI grant.

NIFA additionally requests stakeholder input from any interested party for use in the development of the next RFA for this program.

Table of Contents

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background B. Purpose and Priorities C. Program Description

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Types of Applications C. Project Types

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission C. Submission Dates and Times D. Funding Restrictions E. Other Submission Requirements

PART V—APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. General B. Evaluation Criteria C. Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality D. Organizational Management Information

PART VI—AWARD ADMINISTRATION

A. General B. Award Notice C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements D. Expected Program Outputs and Reporting Requirements

PART VII—AGENCY CONTACT

PART VIII—OTHER INFORMATION

A. Access to Review Information B. Use of Funds; Changes C. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards D. Regulatory Information E. Definitions

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background

This program is administered under the provisions of section 1455 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 3241) pursuant to section 815 of Public Law 104-127 and Public Law 110-246.

Section 1455 of NARETPA, as reauthorized by section 7128 of Public Law 110-246, provides the Secretary of Agriculture with the authority to make competitive grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions for the purpose of promoting and strengthening the ability of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs.

According to Section 1404(9) of NARETPA as amended by Section 7101 of Public Law 110- 246, the term "food and agricultural sciences" means basic, applied, and developmental teaching activities in food and fiber, agricultural, renewable energy and natural resources, forestry, and physical and social sciences, or rural economic, community, or business development, including activities relating to the following: (1) Animal health, production, and well-being; (2) Plant health and production; (3) Animal and plant germ plasm collection and preservation; (4) Aquaculture; (5) Food safety; (6) Soil and water conservation and improvement; (7) Forestry, horticulture, and range management; (8) Nutritional sciences and promotion; (9) Farm enhancement, including financial management, input efficiency, and profitability; (10) Home economics; (11) Rural human ecology; (12) Youth development and agricultural education, including 4–H clubs; (13) Expansion of domestic and international markets for agricultural commodities and products, including agricultural trade barrier identification and analysis; (14) Information management and technology transfer related to agriculture; (15) Biotechnology related to agriculture; and (16) The processing, distributing, marketing, and utilization of food and agricultural products.

Per section 7128 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246), activities funded under this program are no longer required to benefit a consortia of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to be supported by the grant. Consequently, the definition of a “Regular Project” under the HSI Education Grants Program has been revised to a project where the applicant or applicant and one other Hispanic-Serving Institution will be involved in the execution of the project.

B. Purpose and Priorities

Purpose

The Department of Agriculture is designated as the lead Federal Agency that supports higher education in the food and agricultural sciences. In this context, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has specific responsibility to initiate and support projects to strengthen higher education teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences.

The purpose of NIFA’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program is to encourage innovative teaching or education proposals with potential to impact and become models for other institutions that serve Hispanics, at the regional or national level. While research and extension activities may be included in a funded HSI Education project, the primary focus must be to improve teaching, enrollment, and graduation rates within a degree-granting program.

HSI Education projects should develop human capital relevant to overall program goals for U.S.

agriculture. An education or teaching activity is formal classroom instruction, laboratory instruction, and practicum experience in the food and agricultural sciences and other related matters. For example, student recruitment and services, curriculum development, instructional materials and equipment, and innovative teaching methodologies.

Priorities

In order to support the future workforce needs of the food and agriculture sector, the HSI Grants Program must align with NIFA priorities. NIFA has refocused its mission by directing agricultural sciences research, education, and extension programs to address the following five Priority Areas:

1. Global Food Security and Hunger;

2. Climate Change;

3. Sustainable Energy;

4. Childhood Obesity; and

5. Food Safety.

In addition, applicants are encouraged to develop proposals that include the following characteristics:

Focus: All HSI-funded projects should focus on improving the quality of academic instruction within the K-20 system in order to recruit and retain a greater number of qualified and diverse graduates who are either: (a) capable of entering the agricultural sciences workforce with occupational competencies expected by employers, or (b) encouraged to pursue an advanced degree in disciplines supporting the five NIFA Priority Areas. ‘Academic instruction’, as used in the previous sentence, includes improving curricula, faculty competencies, and interactions with other academic institutions or employers to increase student recruitment and retention levels in order to meet the demands of a changing U.S. agricultural sciences workforce.

Scale: All HSI-funded projects should seek to address a greater number of prospective students or qualified faculty and demonstrate the potential for adoption by other academic institutions to address similar challenges. Projects should also maximize available educational resources, encourage partnerships, and reduce duplication of efforts among participating academic institutions, especially in areas of faculty expertise, course offerings, and transfer or articulation agreements between institutions, all to enhance students’ interests and abilities to pursue advanced degrees.

Impact: All HSI-funded projects should seek to create measurable impacts. Impacts are defined as anticipated benefits for the target project audience. Measuring impacts begins with a comprehensive Project Evaluation Plan that includes developing assessment instruments. The Project Evaluation Plan explained in Part I.C.8., provides further specific guidance on the importance of developing a compelling impact.

C. Program Description

All applications must include the essential components given below.

1. NIFA Priority Need.

The first section of the project description should define the NIFA Priority described above to be addressed in the project.

2. HSI Education Grants Program Goals.

Applicants must include a statement that shows how the proposed projects will advance the goals of the HSI Education Grants Program, which are:

• Increase the number of underrepresented groups to reflect the nation’s population demographics and to attain post secondary and post graduate degrees in the food, agricultural, and natural resource sciences;

• Enhance the quality of postsecondary instruction within these disciplines;

• Facilitate the skill and competency development of Hispanic students in order to be competitive for jobs in the food and agriculture sector and at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other federal agencies;

• Provide opportunities and access to food and agricultural careers in the civil service; and

• Align the efforts of HSIs and other non-profit organizations in support of the academic development and career attainment of underrepresented groups.

3. HSI Education Grant Program Objectives.

In addition, grant applications must address how the proposed projects will be able to contribute to the goals above by aligning the projects to the following HSI Education Grants Program Objectives:

a. Strengthen institutional educational capacities to develop and enhance curriculum, faculty, instruction delivery systems, and infrastructure including libraries and scientific instrumentation, in order to respond and serve the needs of Hispanics/Latinos in identified State, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences;

b. Recruit, retain, and support underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students from HSIs, especially Hispanics, who are severely underrepresented in professional jobs related to food and agricultural sciences, in order to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States. Recruitment may start with mentoring high school students and continue by providing financial support for students from undergraduate through graduate level towards completion of doctoral degrees;

c. Facilitate cooperative initiatives between two or more Hispanic-Serving Institutions or between Hispanic-Serving Institutions and units of State government or the private sector such as non-profit organizations serving Hispanics, in order to maximize the development and use of resources and to improve the food and agricultural sciences teaching programs; and

d. Support the activities at institutions of Higher Education that strengthen the ability to serve as a role model on supporting Hispanic attainment by addressing the needs of this group and allowing the HSIs to enhance educational equity for underrepresented groups.

4. Educational Strategies

These are different educational strategies that HSI projects should focus on and develop in order to contribute to the HSI education program goals and objectives. If using more than one Educational Strategy in the application, please list, in the Project Summary, the most representative area first, (See Part IV, B.3a.). All these Educational Strategies present opportunities for USDA collaboration and involvement.

Projects addressing the HSI Program Objectives (Part I, C.3) or Educational Strategies below must demonstrate how proposed activities will provide more efficient and effective approaches than existing institutional programs in order to increase both the quality and quantity of targeted students.

Applicants should propose to improve mainstream instructional practices and address future needs within the food and agricultural sciences system. Applicants should consider projects that meet the various Educational Strategy: (a) reshape curricula for a changing agricultural system; (b) prepare faculty to teach a changing student clientele; (c) prepare instructional delivery systems; (d) acquire scientific instrumentation for teaching; (e) develop student experiential learning opportunities for underrepresented students; or (f) recruit and retain underrepresented students.

(a) Curricula Design, Materials Development, and Library Resources (including development of courses of study and degree programs).

The purpose of this strategy is to promote new and improved curricula, materials, and library resources to increase the quality of and continuously renew the academic programs of HSIs in the food, natural resources, and agricultural sciences. The overall objective is to stimulate the development and facilitate the use of exemplary education models and materials that incorporate the most recent advances in subject matter, research on teaching and learning theory, and instructional technology and to demonstrate the benefit of new technologies. Proposals may emphasize, but are not limited to: the development of courses of study, degree programs, and instructional materials; the use of new approaches to the study of traditional subjects; the introduction of new subjects or new applications of knowledge pertaining to the food and agricultural sciences; or the acquisition of books and journals relating to the food and agricultural sciences.

(b) Faculty Preparation and Enhancement for Teaching.

The purpose of this strategy is to advance faculty development in the areas of teaching competency and leadership, subject matter expertise, or student recruitment and advising skills. Proposals may emphasize, but are not limited to: obtaining experience with recent developments and new applications in a field; expanding competence in innovative technologies and new methods of instruction delivery or student advising skills; or pursuing further graduate-level study in a field related to the food and agricultural sciences. Each faculty recipient of support for developmental activities must be an "eligible participant" as defined in the definitions section of this RFA. Training of faculty and encouraging faculty to develop them in Leadership in Agriculture to serve as role models is encouraged.

NIFA requests the submission of proposals for coordinating the recruitment and development of faculty/student teams to participate in research activities at host research institutions and laboratories. The HSI applicant will administer the grant project in coordination with research staff at USDA and/or other agencies.

Applicants should also consider requesting up to $25,000 to sponsor a well-defined training program for faculty at HSIs that would address one or all of the USDA Strategic Goals (see complete list in Part VIII, E. Definitions) with the purpose of building their capacity and fostering linkages with USDA agencies. Applicants requesting support for this training should attach a three-page project prospectus to their application. (See Part IV, B.3.f.). One institution will be funded to complete this leadership training. Funding for this activity is not renewable. This activity will be funded as a component of an HSI grant and not as a separate grant award. Please include this amount in the final budget.

(c) Instruction Delivery Systems.

The purpose of this strategy is to encourage the use of alternative methods of delivering instruction to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and cost efficiency of teaching programs. Proposals may emphasize, but are not limited to: incorporating alternative instructional methodologies that respond to differences in student learning styles; inter-institutional collaborating in such a manner to deliver instruction in ways that maximize program quality and reduce unnecessary duplication; and considering and implementing innovative instructional techniques, methodologies, and delivery systems in response to advances in knowledge and technology. This includes the development of capacity for distance education in these particular areas in which institutions partner with one another to optimize resources in offering high quality distance educational opportunities.

(d) Scientific Instrumentation for Teaching.

The purpose of this strategy is to provide students in science-oriented courses the necessary experience with suitable, up-to-date equipment in order to involve them in work central to scientific understanding and progress. Proposals may emphasize, but are not limited to: acquiring new, state-of-the-art instructional laboratory and other classroom equipment to help assure the achievement and maintenance of outstanding food and agricultural sciences higher education programs; upgrading existing equipment;

or replacing non-functional or clearly obsolete equipment.

(e) Student Experiential Learning.

The purpose of this strategy is to further the development of student scientific and professional competencies through experiential learning programs outside the formal classroom that provide students with opportunities to solve complex problems in the context of real-world situations. Proposals may emphasize knowledge and applications that provide student graduates with skills desired by employees, but are not limited to:

preparing future graduates to advance knowledge and technology, enhancing quality of life, conserving resources, and revitalizing the Nation's economic competitiveness;

advancing student decision-making and communication skills; and improving real-life technological expertise. Applicants are encouraged to find a USDA agency, non-profit, and/or private sector organization to assist in the development of these student experiential learning activities.

(f) Student Recruitment and Retention (including student financial assistance).

The purpose of this strategy is to strengthen underrepresented student recruitment and retention programs in order to promote and strengthen the Nation's scientific, professional, and technical work force in the food and agricultural sciences. Proposals may emphasize, but are not limited to: supplementing efforts to attract increased numbers of outstanding academic students to prepare for careers as food and agricultural scientists, professionals, and technicians; promoting opportunities for underrepresented groups to engage in a robust exchange of ideas and a more effective use of the full breadth of the Nation's intellectual resources; or mentoring programs and other initiatives (including financial assistance) to attract and retain outstanding students.

Applicants may request funding (up to $50,000) to provide financial assistance to one student beyond their participation in the project that will address the underrepresentation of Hispanics in professional careers in the food and agricultural system as well as the government. Include a budget with the expected expenses for this scholarship in the budget narrative. For example, a student completing a two-year degree could be sponsored to complete a four-year degree or a student completing a four-year degree could be sponsored to complete a master's degree. Two-year colleges must have an articulation agreement allowing the student to complete a bachelor’s or professional degree at the selected granting institution. Funds could cover tuition, books, stipend, computer, travel to one professional conference in their field of study, and/or travel to a one-week leadership training workshop. The student stipend amount selected by the applicant should be comparable to the current stipend at the institution to be attended by the student. The student should be selected within the first 12 months of the award and encouraged to complete funded school work within 54 months of the initial award date (4 1/2 years). Include this student in the table requested in section B.

Each student recipient must be enrolled at an eligible institution and meet the requirement of an "eligible participant" as defined in the definitions section of this solicitation. The table below can be used as a guide to determine and document the appropriate level of student stipend support.

Education Level: BS, MS, Ph.D.

Student Scholarship-Total Amount ($)

Institution Name/Department Degree/Discipline Tuition $ Computer $ Stipend $ Travel to Professional Conference $ Expense X $ Expense Y $ Expense Z $

5. Disciplines and Subject Matter Areas Supported

Eligible institutions may, within the Educational Strategy targeted for support, propose projects in any discipline(s) or subject matter area(s) of the food and agricultural sciences as noted below:

General Food and Agricultural Sciences; Agribusiness Management and Marketing (includes Agricultural Economics); Agricultural/Biological Engineering; Agricultural Social Sciences (includes Agricultural Education, Agricultural Communications, and Rural Sociology); Animal Sciences; Aquaculture; Conservation and Renewable Energy and Natural Resources (includes Forestry and Ecology/Wetlands); Entomology, Animal; Entomology, Plant; Environmental Sciences/Management; Food Science/Technology and Manufacturing (including Food Safety);

Human Nutrition; Human Sciences/Family and Consumer Sciences (excludes Human Nutrition);

International Education/Research (enhancement of U.S. programs); Plant Sciences and Horticulture (including Turf Sciences); Related Biological Sciences (includes General/Basic Biotechnology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology); Soil Sciences; Veterinary Medicine/Science;

Water Science/Water Resources; (including Water Quality and Watershed Management); and "other" relevant and subject matter areas. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines that support the disciplines listed above are encouraged.

6. Levels of Study Supported

Applications must be directed to formal, for-credit academic programs at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels of study. Please include in your application a table similar to the one presented below to summarize the outreach of the project.

Number of Students Supported by Level of Study Supported

Institutions Participating in the Project (1to X)

K through

Associate Arts/

Associate in

Science

Bachelor’s in Science

Masters’ in Science

Doctoral Degree

Institution 1 Institution 2 Institution 3 Institution 4 Institution 5 Institution 6 Institution 7

7. Project Scope and Institutional Collaboration

A proposed Regular or Collaboration project may: address a single Educational Strategy or multiple Educational Strategies; focus on the undergraduate or graduate levels of study; and focus on a single discipline or subject matter area or multiple disciplines or subject matter areas, in any combination.

Applicants may submit Regular Project proposals and/or Collaboration Project proposals.

Applicants submitting Regular Project proposals may partner with one other eligible institution.

(See Part II, C. Project Types.) Proposals should be designed to: (1) increase the pool of highly-qualified students from minority groups that are traditionally underrepresented in professional careers in the food and agricultural sciences and USDA’s labor force; (2) make more scientific knowledge readily available to the Hispanic-Serving Institutions; (3) provide technical and financial assistance through grant and scholarship programs to recruit and retain talented students and faculty; and (4) provide support for utilizing and developing the professional faculty and staff as a source of expertise deemed important.

In addition, applicants are encouraged to collaborate with a USDA agency. USDA agencies are listed below:

Farm Service Agency (FSA); Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS); Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS); Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); Rural Development Agency (RD); the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS); Economic Research Service (ERS); Forest Service (FS); Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA); Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS); Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); Risk Management Agency (RMA); Agricultural Research Service (ARS);

and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to leverage grant funds and/or contribute towards overall goals and objectives.

Examples of collaborative activities with USDA could include but are not limited to internships, USDA Career Days, Hispanic-Serving Institution student visits or tours, and USDA staff presentations to students and faculty.

The USDA Office of Human Capital Management has identified 20 Mission Critical Occupations (MCO’s) in its FY 2008 Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program Plan.

Using this information the HSI Education Grant Program will focus on the top fifteen occupations listed below by priority and ROCN track code, see page 22 for description:

1. Forestry Technician - CCFS

2. General Biological Scientists - BNSARS

3. Biological Science Technician - BNSARS

4. Soil Conservation Specialist - NRNR

5. Soil Conservation Technician - NRNR

6. Forestry Specialist - CCFS

7. Dietician and Nutritionist Specialist - FSFS

8. Consumer Safety Specialist - FSFS

9. Soil Science Specialist - NRNR

10. Veterinary Medical Officer - RDLF

11. General Business and Industry - RDLF

12. Statistician Specialist - SEARSLF

13. Consumer Safety Inspection - FSFS

14. Food Inspection Specialist - FSFS

15. Agricultural Commodity Grader - FSFS

8. Project Evaluation

In addition to measuring progress toward achieving the specific objectives of your funded project, your Evaluation Plan (see Part IV, B.3.b.(B)(5)) must also include a strategy for assessing how your project advances the Five HSI Education Grants Program Goals (Part I, C.2).

Please see Appendix A for a table that includes suggested potential indicators and units of measurement.

Examples. The following suggested evaluation examples are derived from the Department of Education’s Report of the Academic Competitiveness Council, May 2007, Federal STEM Goals and Metrics, Education Undergraduate National Goals and Metrics.

To demonstrate progress toward increasing the number of graduates, the following metric is suggested: first, provide baseline data for the year preceding the grant award showing the number and/or percentage of students who declare and/or complete a major program of study in the food and agricultural sciences within your unit; and second, provide similar data for the final year of the grant and include an assessment of the impact of your project on changes from the baseline data. List the expected number of students benefiting from this project and their level of education using information and data collection throughout the life of the project. A table is recommended.

To demonstrate progress toward increasing the quality of instruction, the following metric is suggested: first, provide baseline data for the year preceding the grant award showing the current number and/or percentage of graduates who either graduate and pursue a vocation in the food and agricultural sciences or who pursue advanced degrees within the food and agricultural sciences; and second, provide similar data for the final year of the grant and include an assessment of the impact of your project on changes from the baseline data.

Baseline Data. For quantitative, baseline, student enrollment, degrees granted and employment data to make comparisons in meeting HSI Education Grants Program Goals, applicants could reference the Food and Agricultural Education Information System (FAEIS) resource at:

http://faeis.ahnrit.vt.edu/; the publication: Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in the U.S. Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources System 2005-2010 at:

http://faeis.ahnrit.vt.edu/supplydemand/2005-2010/, or other, similar source(s).

Logic Model. Applications for ALL projects must include the elements of a logic model detailing the activities, outputs, and outcomes of the proposed project. This information may be provided as a narrative and formatted into a logic model chart. The logic model planning process is a tool that should be used to develop your project before writing your proposal. Two additional pages are allowed for this information. See Part IV.B3,b.B.6 for details on where to attach this information to your application. Additional resources to logic model planning and examples of logic models are available on our website:

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/strat_plan_logic_models.html (Planning).

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/education/in_focus/multicultural_if_hsi_conference_09.html (Examples).

Independent Evaluator. Grantees are encouraged to obtain an independent evaluation to secure appropriate documentation of the project’s outcomes and impacts. Up to 8 percent of grant funds may be used for this purpose on Regular Projects and up to 5 percent on Collaboration Projects.

Finally, all applicants should actively participate and fund a meta-evaluation and should plan to fund a project data collector as part of the evaluation project.

9. Project Director's Meetings and Dissemination Plan

As part of the award, you will be required to disseminate your findings and best practices and to attend two types of meetings throughout the duration of the grant.

Meetings. During the tenure of a grant, all Project Directors must attend a New Project Director’s Meeting at the beginning and an Annual Project Director’s Meeting for each award year. Meetings will be held in Washington, DC, or any other announced location. A reasonable amount of travel costs should be included in the budget. The purpose of the New Project Director’s Meeting will be to discuss project and grant management, opportunities for collaborative efforts, and future directions for education reform. The Annual National Project Director’s Meetings will provide opportunities to enhance dissemination of exemplary end products/results and network with other grantees. The proposed budget should reflect the attendance of these meetings.

http://faeis.ahnrit.vt.edu/ http://faeis.ahnrit.vt.edu/supplydemand/2005-2010/ http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/strat_plan_logic_models.html http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/education/in_focus/multicultural_if_hsi_conference_09.html

Dissemination Plans. Applicants must include in the project’s Dissemination Plan a description of how the applicant plans to communicate project accomplishments (products, results and impacts, etc.) to the broadest extent throughout the academic community. This should include the following: educational journals; professional discipline publications; a website;presentations at regional or national conferences and workshops; and the Annual HSIs Project Director’s Conference.

Thus, NIFA’s HSI Education Grants Program requires that applicants must address in their applications the following items discussed above:

1. Discuss how the project addresses at least one of the NIFA Priority Areas described above;

2. Discuss how the project addresses the Program Goals and describe how the proposed project will contribute to the overall goals of the HSI program (Part I, C);

3. Address how the project concentrates on the HSIs Education Program Objectives by increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas related to agriculture, natural resources, and environmental sciences;

4. Address at least one of the Educational Strategies (described in Part I, C.4.), and explain how this supports the program objectives and goals listed above;

5. Identify the Discipline(s) supported and how it relates to the NIFA Priority selected and the collaborating USDA agency;

6. Address the Level of Work supported. Include a table describing the expected number of students benefiting from this project and the level of education such as associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees at each of the institutions participating in the program;

7. Document how applicants will find and partner with a sponsoring USDA agency in order to leverage grant funds and/or contribute towards the proposed project overall goals and objectives; and

8. Include a strong Evaluation component that will assist you in documenting how project accomplishments (products, results, impacts, etc.) will be published or disseminated to the widest extent possible throughout the academic community. Applicants are encouraged to develop a project web page as part of their dissemination activities. Applicants are also encouraged to develop an on-campus review committee to evaluate their progress and termination reports. This measure will help maximize the quality of the content within these reports.

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding

There is no commitment by USDA to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards. NIFA anticipates that approximately $9.2 million will be available to fund applications in FY 2012. Approximately half of the funds will be used to fund Regular projects.

This amount is anticipated to fund new and continuation projects. This RFA will only fund new regular projects and ROCN projects. In FY2012, a separate RFA will fund only continuation projects.

B. Types of Applications

In FY 2012, applications may be submitted to the HSI Program as one of the following two types of requests:

1. New application. This is a project application that has not been previously submitted to the HSI Program. All new applications will be reviewed competitively using the selection process and evaluation criteria described in Part V—Application Review Requirements.

2. Resubmitted application. This is an application that had previously been submitted to the HSI Program but not funded. Project Directors (PDs) must respond to the previous review panel summary (see Response to Previous Review, Part IV, B.3.f.). Resubmitted applications must be received by the relevant due dates, will be evaluated in competition with other pending applications in the appropriate area to which they are assigned, and will be reviewed according to the same evaluation criteria as new applications. Applications that do not address comments from previous reviewers will not be accepted or considered for funding.

3. Continuation application. A continuation grant is an award for which an application is approved, but each year of funding is awarded on an annual basis and subject to the availability of annual appropriations and satisfactory progress of the project. This type of application will be requested under a separate RFA.

Important References

As you prepare your application, please refer to the following three references:

• In order to address the shortage of the agriculture workforce, particularly from underrepresented groups, a useful guide for applicants is the NRC report on the “New Biology for the 21st Century” (http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12764.html).

• For supporting their proposal and improving their project, applicants are also strongly encouraged to refer to the recommendations for change from the National Academy of Science 2009 report entitled, Transforming Agricultural Education for a Changing World. This report recommends that academic institutions with undergraduate programs in agriculture implement the following nine steps to better meet the needs of students, employers, and the broader society. These recommendations are:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12764.html o Implement Strategic Planning;

o Broaden Treatment of Agriculture in the Overall Curriculum;

o Broaden the Student Experience;

o Prepare Faculty to Teach Effectively;

o Reward Exemplary Teaching;

o Build Stronger Connections among Institutions;

o Start Early—K-12 Outreach;

o Build Strategic Partnerships; and o Focus Reviews of Undergraduate Programs in Agriculture.

For information on the full report, please refer to http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/report.shtml and click on recommendations.

• Also refer to a 2009 whitepaper on Human Capacity Development prepared by the

Academic Programs Section of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.

Copies of the whitepaper entitled “Human Capacity Development The Road to Global Competitiveness and Leadership in Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (FANRRS),” can be found at:

http://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=1639.

C. Project Types

There are two types of project proposals: Regular; and Collaboration. The Collaboration will also be referred to as Regional or National Collaboration Network (ROCN). The Regional or National Collaboration Network projects will accept only new applications. Awards will be made based on funding available for FY 2012.

• A Regular Project is one in which the Hispanic-Serving Institution (college or university) applying or the HSI applicant and other Hispanic-Serving Institutions will be involved in the execution of the project. Approximately half of the funds available will be used to fund Regular projects.

• A Collaboration Project is one in which four or more Hispanic-Serving Institutions will build linkages to maximize the use of limited resources by generating a critical mass of expertise to address an activity focused on one of more targeted Educational Strategies.

This will increase cost effectiveness, achieve economies of scale, strengthen the scope and quality of a project’s impact, and reach a larger number of institutions and students.

o NEW Collaboration Project Regional or National Collaboration Network

(ROCN) is a proposal for a project in which a group of four or more Hispanic- Serving Institutions form a cooperative arrangement for the purpose of carrying out common objective(s) on the group’s behalf in order to promote and strengthen their abilities to carry out higher education programs in the food and agricultural sciences, nutrition, and natural resources. These applications must include a meta-analysis component. New Collaboration Projects funds are only available to institutions not previously funded for a Regional or National Collaboration project (ROCN). Please remember to emphasize the project’s focus, scale, and impact. Up http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#plan http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#curr http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#stud http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#prep http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#teach http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#connect http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#early http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#partner http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/recommendations.shtml#review http://dels.nas.edu/ag_education/report.shtml http://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=1639 to two new Collaboration Project will be funded, depending on funding available for FY 2012.

In summary, Regular applications for this program may be submitted by a single Hispanic- Serving Institution, a set of Hispanic-serving Institutions, or a Hispanic-Serving Institution as a lead working with other non-Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Again, the lead institution must be an HSI.

Collaboration Projects or Regional or National Collaboration Network (ROCN) projects involve at least four HSIs colleges or universities with one of them acting as the lead institution.

In addition, they may also include non-HSIs institutions to the required minimum of HSIs. The Continuation Collaboration applications are limited to previously funded projects and the new collaborations are open to new groups of HSIs. The activities of these collaborative efforts must support and enhance educational equity.

1. Application Submission Limitations

For the FY 2012 program, an applicant may not submit as a lead institution more than four Regular applications and only one Collaboration application as the lead institution. New collaboration applications will only be accepted from new groups of Hispanic-Serving Institutions that are not currently leading a Collaboration project.

2. Project Duration

The statutory time limitation for this program is five (5) years. No project may be active for longer than five (5) years, including no-cost extensions.

For the FY 2012 program, eligible institutions may submit Regular or Collaboration Project applications as defined in this RFA.

All Regular projects will be fully funded for a duration of 24 to 36 months, and Collaboration projects will be funded for 12 to 24 months with the opportunity for funding renewal for funding for up to four years total:

New Collaboration Projects or Regional or National Collaborations (ROCN) will be funded for twelve months and up to $900,000 with the opportunity for renewal at a similar level based on the availability of funds for this purpose and the project’s previous year performance and/or efforts towards the accomplishment of specified timelines and outcomes.

3. Award Size

The award size varies by type of project as follows:

a. Regular Project

For the FY 2012 program, an applicant may request up to $250,000 (total, not per year) for a Regular Project. Additional funds up to $50,000 may be requested by the applicant to take advantage of their position as an HSI to recruit and support one underrepresented student and address the severe underrepresentation of Hispanics in the Federal government. Therefore, the total or maximum for a regular grant award size is $300,000, including indirect costs. Applicants must describe in the budget narrative how these funds will be allocated. Note that the funds requested do not have to be divided equally between institutions or among project years.

b. New Collaboration Project Regional or National Collaborations (ROCN)

Collaboration proposals will be funded up to $900,000 per year for up to four years and will require the participation of four or more HSIs. Grantees will have the opportunity for renewal at a similar level based on the availability of funds and the project’s previous year performance towards the accomplishment of specified timelines and outcomes.

A ROCN project should seek to bring together a multi-state, multi-institutional, and multi-disciplinary team of Hispanic-serving Institutions to develop and implement a Hispanic-serving initiative, a large-scale multifaceted intervention to recruit, retain, and graduate Hispanic students.

The intent of the ROCN project is to promote collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information, and the development of resources that accelerate education and placement of Hispanics into USDA or other Federal agencies addressing USDA priorities.

The ROCN project should aim to coordinate efforts and integrate activities among individuals, institutions, states, and regions. Therefore, applications should clearly articulate how a ROCN grant will complement and/or link with existing programs or projects to make a significant impact on the education of Hispanic students. Applicants could collaborate with existing non-profit organizations to recruit students and increase and enrich the pool of candidates interested in food and agricultural sciences, and natural resources.

Activities supported should better position the institution(s) involved to engage on its (their) role as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and reach out to the current or potential underrepresented student population. Applicants must describe in the budget narrative how these funds will be allocated.

Up to two collaboration proposals are expected to be funded in FY 2012, depending on the availability of funds. Distribution of funds among collaboration members will be decided by the applicant organizations.

The Collaboration Project - NEW Regional or National Collaborations Networks (ROCN) applications require a Letter of Intent. No more than two letters of intent per institution will be accepted. In addition, only one letter of intent per institution per track, see page XX, will be accepted.

• Letters of intent (LOI) are due January 10, 2012.

Further instructions for preparing LOIs are given below.

• Letters of intent are limited to four pages:

o Abstract with number of students to be served, including the academic level;

o Personnel distribution and role;

o Administrative and Management Plan; and o Budget allocations (including collaborators).

• All partners receiving funding for students must be HSIs.

• Up to seven ROCN awards will be made in FY 2012 (up to 2 new awards and up to 5 continuation awards under a separate RFA).

• HSIs can only be the lead in one ROCN award, but they can collaborate on as many as four ROCN awards.

• Letters of Intent will be reviewed, and competitive LOIs will be invited to submit a full application.

• Invitation for full applications will be sent on or about 5:00 p.m. EST on January 15, 2012.

• Full Collaboration Project-Regional or National Collaboration Networks (ROCN) applications will be due March 8, 2012 by 5:00 p.m. EST.

• Applications must include summer programs for screening potential undergraduate or graduate students and enroll them in an agriculture related program that includes completion of a degree.

• Requested budget exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

• Proposed NEW ROCN projects should:

o Develop human capital relevant to tracks listed earlier;

o Train students for Associate, Baccalaureate or Master’s degrees;

o Synthesize and incorporate a wide range of the latest relevant research results;

o Lead to measurable, documented changes in learning, actions, or conditions;

o Not exceed $900,000 per year ($3.6 million total, including indirect costs) for project periods of up to 4 years; and o Include a K-12 outreach and recruitment component.

NIFA anticipates making up to two awards in FY 2012. Funding for second, third and fourth year will depend on the availability of funds for this purpose and the performance of previous years.

• NIFA’s Expectations for New Collaboration Grantees:

o Fund and conduct recruitment activities to select students interested in agriculture;

o Provide academic guidance and tutoring as required;

o Track students and document student progress to show 90 percent retention until graduation;

o Develop a set of activities that will enhance student academic experience;

o Provide students the opportunity to engage in research with faculty;

o Provide students the opportunity to attend a professional meeting;

o Assist students to maintain academic good standing of a 3.0 GPA or higher with a minimum of 15 credit hours a semester;

o Provide assigned Faculty (compensated) mentoring;

o Engage students in community, Federal government, or non-profit volunteer or paid service;

o Collect student letter of commitment stating expectation for reimbursement if they do not fulfill the requirements of their program participation.

o Include in the application travel support for underrepresented students to attend conferences and make presentations;

o Negotiate summer paid internship off campus with USDA/affiliate agency each summer and document efforts and results;

o Encourage more effective partnerships and reduce…