Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCU), and Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) programs; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 21614-21618 [E8-8702]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 78 (Tuesday, April 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21614-21618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-8702]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; 
Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), American Indian Tribally 
Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCU), and Alaska Native-Serving 
and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) programs; Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.031A, 
84.031T, 84.031N, and 84.031W.)
    Dates:
    Applications Available: April 22, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 22, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The SIP, TCCU, and the ANNH programs authorized 
by Title III, Part A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1057-1059d, provide grants to eligible institutions of 
higher education (IHEs) to help them become self sufficient and expand 
their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to 
improve and strengthen their academic quality, institutional management 
and fiscal stability. Section 499A of the HEA, as added by the College 
Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA), Public Law 100-84, makes 
additional funds available in Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009 to certain 
minority-serving institutions eligible for the SIP programs including 
an additional $30 million to the TCCU program and $15 million to the 
ANNH program. Awards under these programs are hereafter referred to as 
CCRAA-TCCU and CCRAA-ANNH.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057-1059d and Pub. L. 110-84.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 
34 CFR part 607.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $23,411,000 for the SIP program, 
$40,517,000 for the TCCU program (includes $30,000,000 in CCRAA 
funding), and $18,880,000 for the ANNH program (includes $15,000,000 in 
CCRAA funding) for FY 2008.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: See following chart.
    Estimated Number of Awards: See following chart.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Estimated     Estimated
   Program name and type of     Maximum award  number of   average award
            award                amount ($)      awards     amount ($)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengthening Institutions
 Program (84.031A):
    5-year Individual                 400,000         64         300,000
     Development Grants......
    5-year Cooperative                500,000          1         500,000
     Arrangement Grants......
Tribally Controlled Colleges
 and Universities Program
 (84.031T):
    5-year Individual                 475,000          6         450,000
     Development Grants......
    1-year Construction             1,650,000          6       1,336,000
     Grants..................
    2-year CCRAA-TCCU               3,000,000         10       3,000,000
     Construction Grants.....
Alaska Native and Native
 Hawaiian Program (84.031N
 and 84.031W):
    5-year Individual                 500,000          8         400,000
     Development Grants......
    2-year CCRAA-ANNH               2,000,000         10       1,500,000
     Renovation Grants.......
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 60 months for development and cooperative 
arrangement grants, 12 months for one-year TCCU construction grants, 
and 24 months for CCRAA-TCCU two-year construction and CCRAA-ANNH 
renovation grants.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: An IHE that qualifies as an eligible 
institution under the SIP, TCCU, and the ANNH programs may apply for 
grants under this notice. These programs are authorized by Title III, 
Part A, of the HEA. To qualify as an eligible institution under any 
Title III, Part A programs, an institution must, among other 
requirements--
    (1) Be accredited or preaccredited by a nationally recognized 
accrediting agency or association that the Secretary has determined to 
be a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training 
offered;
    (2) Be legally authorized by the State in which it is located to be 
a junior or community college or to provide an educational program for 
which it awards a bachelor's degree;
    (3) Be designated as an ``eligible institution'' by demonstrating 
that it: A) has an enrollment of needy students as described in 34 CFR 
607.3; and B) has low average educational and general expenditures per 
full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student as described in 34 CFR 
607.4.
    Relationship between the Title III, Part A programs, and the 
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program.


[[Page 21615]]


    Note 1: A grantee under the Developing Hispanic-Serving 
Institutions (HSI) program, which is authorized by Title V of the 
HEA, may not receive a grant under any HEA, Title III, Part A 
program. The Title III, Part A programs include the SIP, TCCU and 
ANNH programs. Further, a current HSI program grantee may not give 
up its HSI grant in order to receive a grant under any Title III, 
Part A program.


    Note 2: An eligible HSI that does not fall within the limitation 
described in Note 1 (i.e., is not a current grantee under the HSI 
program) may apply for a FY 2008 grant under all Title III, Part A 
programs for which it is eligible, as well as receive consideration 
for a grant under the HSI program. However, a successful applicant 
may receive only one grant.


    Note 3: An eligible IHE that submits more than one application 
may only be awarded one individual development grant or one 
cooperative arrangement development grant in a fiscal year. 
Furthermore, we will not award a second cooperative arrangement 
development grant to an otherwise eligible IHE for the same award 
year as the IHE's existing cooperative arrangement development grant 
award.


    Note 4: The Department will make five-year awards for individual 
development grants and five-year awards for cooperative arrangement 
development grants in rank order from separate funding slates 
according to the average score received from a panel of three 
readers. The Department will make 1-year construction grants under 
the TCCU program, 2-year CCRAA-TCCU construction and 2-year CCRAA-
ANNH renovation grants in rank order from separate funding slates 
according to the average score received from a panel of three 
readers.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: These programs do not require cost 
sharing or matching unless the grantee uses a portion of its grant for 
establishing or improving an endowment fund. If a grantee uses a 
portion of its grant for endowment fund purposes, it must match those 
grant funds with non-Federal funds (20 U.S.C. 1057(d)(2) and 
1059c(c)(3)(B)).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Darlene B. Collins, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 
20006-8513. Telephone: (202) 502-7576 or by e-mail: 
darlene.collins@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for these programs.
    Page Limits: We have established mandatory page limits for the 
applications to be submitted under this notice. You must limit your 
application to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages for an 
individual development grant, 70 pages for cooperative arrangement 
development grant; and 35 pages for a construction or a renovation 
using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1 inch 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an 
identifier may be outside the 1'' margin.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, captions and all text in charts, 
tables, figures, and graphs. Charts, tables, figures, and graphs in the 
application narrative may be single spaced and will count toward the 
page limit.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10-point 
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will be rejected.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for 
Federal Assistance Face Sheet (SF 424); the Supplemental Information 
for SF 424 Form required by the Department of Education; Part II, the 
Budget Information Summary Form (ED Form 524); and Part IV, the 
Assurances and Certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a 
Table of Contents and the Program Abstract. If you include any 
attachments or appendices, these items will be counted as part of the 
Program Narrative (Part III of the application) for purposes of the 
page limit requirement. You must include your complete response to the 
selection criteria in the program narrative.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: April 22, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 22, 2008.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission 
Requirements in this notice:
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in Section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for these programs.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference the regulations outlining 
funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this 
notice.
    Applicability of Executive Order 13202. Applicants that apply for 
construction funds under the Title III, Part A Programs, must comply 
with Executive Order 13202, signed by President George W. Bush on 
February 17, 2001, and amended on April 6, 2001. This Executive Order 
provides that recipients of Federal construction funds may not 
``require or prohibit bidders, offerors, contractors, or subcontractors 
to enter into or adhere to agreements with one or more labor 
organizations, on the same or other construction project(s)'' or 
``otherwise discriminate against bidders, offerors, contractors, or 
subcontractors for becoming or refusing to become or remain signatories 
or otherwise adhere to agreements with one or more labor organizations, 
on the same or other construction project(s).'' However, the Executive 
Order does not prohibit contractors or subcontractors from voluntarily 
entering into these agreements. Projects funded under these programs 
that include construction activity will be provided a copy of this 
Executive Order and will be asked to certify that they will adhere to 
it.

[[Page 21616]]

    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under the 
SIP, TCCU, and ANNH programs must be submitted electronically unless 
you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the SIP, TCCU, and ANNH programs 
(CFDA Numbers 84.031A, 84.031T, 84.031N, and 84.031W) must be submitted 
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http:/
/www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy 
of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and 
submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a 
grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the SIP, TCCU, 
and ANNH programs at https://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the 
downloadable application package for this program competition by the 
CFDA Number. Do not include the CFDA Number's alpha suffix in your 
search (e.g., search for 84.031, not 84.031A).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is received--that is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system--later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply 
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from 
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application 
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at https://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see https://
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see https://www.grants.gov/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same DUNS Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information typically included on the Department of Education 
Supplemental Information Form (SF 424); Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the 
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have 
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     You must attach any narrative sections of your application 
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable 
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file 
types specified above or submit a password protected file, we will not 
review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award Number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
With the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., please contact the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in 
this notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you 
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk 
Case Number. We will

[[Page 21617]]

accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time; or, if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days; or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must 
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Darlene B. Collins, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th floor, Washington, DC 
20006-8513. Fax: (202) 502-7861. Your paper application must be 
submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions 
described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.031A, 84.031T, 
84.031N or 84.031W), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-
4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.031A, 
84.031T, 84.031N or 84.031W), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 
20785-1506.

    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark;
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service;
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier;
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.031A, 84.031T, 84.031N or 84.031W), 550 12th Street, 
SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA Number, including suffix 
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification 
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this 
notification within 15 business days from the application deadline 
date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application 
Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for these programs 
are in 34 CFR 607.22(a)-(g). Applicants must address each of the 
following selection criteria (separately for each proposed activity). 
The total weight of the selection criteria is 100 points; the maximum 
score for each criterion is noted in parentheses.
    (a) Quality of The Applicant's Comprehensive Development Plan 
(Maximum 25 Points).
    (b) Quality of Activity Objectives (Maximum 15 Points).
    (c) Quality of Implementation Strategy (Maximum 20 Points).
    (d) Quality of Key Personnel (Maximum 7 Points).
    (e) Quality of Project Management Plan (Maximum 10 Points).
    (f) Quality of Evaluation Plan (Maximum 15 Points).
    (g) Budget (Maximum 8 Points).
    2. Review and Selection Process: For five-year individual 
development grants, five-year cooperative arrangement development 
grants, one-year construction grants, and two-year construction and 
renovation grants, awards will be made in rank order according to the 
average score received from a panel of three readers.
    Tie-breaker for Development Grants. In tie-breaking situations for 
development grants described in 34 CFR 607.23(b), the regulations for 
the Title III, Part A programs require that we award one additional 
point to an application from an IHE that has an endowment fund for 
which the market value per FTE student is less than the comparable 
average per FTE student at a similar type IHE. We award one additional 
point to an application from an IHE that had expenditures for library 
materials per FTE student that are less than the comparable average per 
FTE student at a similar type IHE. We also add one additional point to 
an application from an IHE that proposes to carry out one or more of 
the following activities--
    (i) Faculty development;

[[Page 21618]]

    (ii) Funds and administrative management;
    (iii) Development and improvement of academic programs;
    (iv) Acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening management 
and academic programs;
    (v) Joint use of facilities; and
    (vi) Student services
    For the purpose of these funding considerations, we use 2005-2006 
data.
    If a tie remains after applying the tie-breaker mechanism above, 
priority will be given in the case of applicants for: (a) Individual 
development grants to applicants that have the lowest endowment values 
per FTE student; and (b) cooperative arrangement development grants to 
applicants in accordance with section 394(b) of the HEA, if the 
Secretary determines that the cooperative arrangement is geographically 
and economically sound or will benefit the applicant institution.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we will notify you by written correspondence.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section in this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118, 75.720 and 34 CFR 607.31.
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the 
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of 
the SIP, TCCU, and ANNH programs:
    a. The percentage change, over a five-year period, of the number of 
full-time degree-seeking undergraduates enrolling at IHEs. Note that 
this is a long-term measure, which will be used to periodically gauge 
performance, beginning in FY 2009;
    b. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking 
undergraduate students who were in their first year of postsecondary 
enrollment in the previous year and are enrolled in the current year at 
the same institution;
    c. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking 
undergraduate students enrolled at 4-year IHEs who graduate within 6 
years of enrollment; and
    d. The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking 
undergraduate students enrolled at 2-year IHEs who graduate within 3 
years of enrollment.

VII. Agency Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Darlene B. Collins, U.S. Department of 
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20006-8513. 
Telephone: (202) 502-7576 or by e-mail: darlene.collins@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person in this section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: https://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/.


    Dated: April 17, 2008.
Diane Auer Jones,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8-8702 Filed 4-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P