Federal Foundation Assistance Monitor

(HIGHER EDUCATION) Revived Discretionary Grant Program to Start Soon

The Education Dept. (DoEd) is ready to reinstate the $1 million the North American Mobility in Higher Education discretionary grant program which last gave grants in FY 2008 to support institutional cooperation and student exchanges among the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Public Comment Deadline: Sept. 11.

DoEd is holding an abbreviated public comment period under the Streamlined Clearance Process for Discretionary Grant Information Collections (1894-0001). Therefore, the 30-day public comment period notice will be the only public comment notice, according to an Aug. 12 Federal Register notice.

Funding supports the participation of U.S. institutions and students in trilateral consortia of institutions of higher education. Funding will be multi-year with funding up to four years. In FY 2008, DoEd made nine awards, with an average new award of $29,000.

The program fosters student exchange within the context of multilateral curricular development. Students benefit from having an added "North American" curriculum and cultural dimension to their studies through combination of trilateral curricular innovation and study abroad.  The program is administrated collectively by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education (FIPSE); Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC); and in Mexico by the Secretariat of Public Education (Dirección de Desarollo Universitario, Secretaría de Educación Pública - SEP).

Projects are intended to: 

Encourage cooperation and exchange among higher education institutions in the United States, Mexico, and Canada;

  • Increase the knowledge of the languages, cultures, and institutions of these three countries;
  • Increase the quality of human resources development in the three countries;
  • Explore ways to prepare students to work throughout North America; and
  • Augment student mobility, through mutual recognition and portability of credits and by developing joint curricula and degrees.  

The Program aims to improve the quality of human resource development in the three countries and to explore ways to prepare students for work throughout North America through: 

  • The mutual recognition and portability of academic credits among North American institutions;
  • The development of shared, common, or core curricula among North American institutions;
  • The acquisition of the languages and exposure to the cultures of the United States, Canada, and Mexico;
  • The development of student apprenticeships or other work related experiences; and
  • An increased cooperation and exchange among academic personnel among North American institutions.

Comments should be addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Education Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th St., NW., Room 10222, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, be faxed to 202/395-5806

Info: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-19361.htm or www.ed.gov/programs/fipsenortham/index.html

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