[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 34, Volume 3]
[Revised as of July 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 34CFR647.21]

[Page 327-328]
 
                           TITLE 34--EDUCATION
 
 CHAPTER VI--OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 
PART 647_RONALD E. MCNAIR POSTBACCALAUREATE ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM
--Table of Contents
 
             Subpart C_How Does the Secretary Make a Grant?
 
Sec. 647.21  What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    The Secretary uses the following criteria to evaluate an application 
for a new grant:
    (a) Need (16 Points). The Secretary reviews each application to 
determine the extent to which the applicant can clearly and definitively 
demonstrate the need for a McNair project to serve the target 
population. In particular, the Secretary looks for information that 
clearly defines the target population; describes the academic, financial 
and other problems that prevent potentially eligible project 
participants in the target population from completing baccalaureate 
programs and continuing to postbaccalaureate programs; and demonstrates 
that the project's target population is underrepresented in graduate 
education, doctorate degrees conferred and careers where a doctorate is 
a prerequisite.
    (b) Objectives (9 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of 
the applicant's proposed project objectives on the basis of the extent 
to which they--
    (1) Include both process and outcome objectives relating to the 
purpose of the McNair program stated in Sec. 647.1;
    (2) Address the needs of the target population; and
    (3) Are measurable, ambitious, and attainable over the life of the 
project.
    (c) Plan of Operation (44 points). The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the applicant's plans of 
operation, including--
    (1) (4 points) The plan for identifying, recruiting and selecting 
participants to be served by the project, including students enrolled in 
the Student Support Services program;
    (2) (4 points) The plan for assessing individual participant needs 
and for monitoring the academic growth of participants during the period 
in which the student is a McNair participant;
    (3) (5 points) The plan for providing high quality research and 
scholarly activities in which participants will be involved;
    (4) (5 points) The plan for involving faculty members in the design 
of research activities in which students will be involved;
    (5) (5 points) The plan for providing internships, seminars, and 
other educational activities designed to prepare undergraduate students 
for doctoral study;
    (6) (5 points) The plan for providing individual or group services 
designed to enhance a student's successful entry into postbaccalaureate 
education;
    (7) (3 points) The plan to inform the institutional community of the 
goals and objectives of the project;
    (8) (8 points) The plan to ensure proper and efficient 
administration of the project, including, but not limited to matters 
such as financial management, student records management, personnel 
management, the organizational structure, and the plan for coordinating 
the McNair project with other programs for disadvantaged students; and
    (9) (5 points) The follow-up plan that will be used to track the 
academic and career accomplishments of participants after they are no 
longer participating in the McNair project.

[[Page 328]]

    (d) Quality of key personnel (9 points). The Secretary evaluates the 
quality of key personnel the applicant plans to use on the project on 
the basis of the following:
    (1)(i) The job qualifications of the project director.
    (ii) The job qualifications of each of the project's other key 
personnel.
    (iii) The quality of the project's plan for employing highly 
qualified persons, including the procedures to be used to employ members 
of groups underrepresented in higher education, including Blacks, 
Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific 
Islanders (including Native Hawaiians).
    (2) In evaluating the qualifications of a person, the Secretary 
considers his or her experience and training in fields related to the 
objectives of the project.
    (e) Adequacy of the resources and budget (15 points). The Secretary 
evaluates the extent to which--
    (1) The applicant's proposed allocation of resources in the budget 
is clearly related to the objectives of the project;
    (2) Project costs and resources, including facilities, equipment, 
and supplies, are reasonable in relation to the objectives and scope of 
the project; and
    (3) The applicant's proposed commitment of institutional resources 
to the McNair participants, as for example, the commitment of time from 
institutional research faculty and the waiver of tuition and fees for 
McNair participants engaged in summer research projects.
    (f) Evaluation plan (7 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality 
of the evaluation plan for the project on the basis of the extent to 
which the applicant's methods of evaluation--
    (1) Are appropriate to the project's objectives;
    (2) Provide for the applicant to determine, in specific and 
measurable ways, the success of the project in--
    (i) Making progress toward achieving its objectives (a formative 
evaluation); and
    (ii) Achieving its objectives at the end of the project period (a 
summative evaluation); and
    (3) Provide for a description of other project outcomes, including 
the use of quantifiable measures, if appropriate.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-15)