|
U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 1862i. Scientific and technical education
(a) National advanced scientific and technical education program
The Director of the National Science Foundation (hereafter in
sections 1862h to 1862j of this title referred to as the
"Director") shall award grants to associate-degree-granting
colleges, and consortia thereof, to assist them in providing
education in advanced-technology fields, and to improve the quality
of their core education courses in science and mathematics. The
grant program shall place emphasis on the needs of students who
have been in the workforce (including work in the home), and shall
be designed to strengthen and expand the scientific and technical
education and training capabilities of associate-degree-granting
colleges through such methods as -
(1) the development of model instructional programs in
advanced-technology fields and in core science and mathematics
courses;
(2) the professional development of faculty and instructors,
both full- and part-time, who provide instruction in science,
mathematics, and advanced-technology fields;
(3) the establishment of innovative partnership arrangements
that -
(A) involve associate-degree-granting colleges and other
appropriate public and private sector entities, and
(B) provide for private sector donations, faculty
opportunities to have short-term assignments with industry,
sharing of program costs, equipment loans, and the cooperative
use of laboratories, plants, and other facilities, and
provision for state-of-the-art work experience opportunities
for students enrolled in such programs;
(4) the acquisition of state-of-the-art instrumentation
essential to programs designed to prepare and upgrade students in
scientific and advanced-technology fields; and
(5) the development and dissemination of instructional
materials in support of improving the advanced scientific and
technical education and training capabilities of
associate-degree-granting colleges, including programs for
students who are not pursuing a science degree.
(b) National centers of scientific and technical education
The Director shall award grants for the establishment of centers
of excellence, not to exceed 10 in number, among
associate-degree-granting colleges. Centers shall meet one or both
of the following criteria:
(1) Exceptional instructional programs in advanced-technology
fields.
(2) Excellence in undergraduate education in mathematics and
science.
The centers shall serve as national and regional clearinghouses and
models for the benefit of both colleges and secondary schools, and
shall provide seminars and programs to disseminate model curricula
and model teaching methods and instructional materials to other
associate-degree-granting colleges in the geographic region served
by the center.
(c) Articulation partnerships
(1) Partnership grants
(A) The Director shall make grants to eligible partnerships to
encourage students to pursue bachelor degrees in mathematics,
science, engineering, or technology, and to assist students
pursuing bachelor degrees in mathematics, science, engineering,
or technology to make the transition from
associate-degree-granting colleges to bachelor-degree-granting
institutions, through such means as -
(i) examining curricula to ensure that academic credit earned
at the associate-degree-granting college is transferable to
bachelor-degree-granting institutions;
(ii) informing teachers from the associate-degree-granting
college on the specific requirements of courses at the
bachelor-degree-granting institution; and
(iii) providing summer educational programs for students from
the associate-degree-granting college to encourage such
students' subsequent matriculation at bachelor-degree-granting
institutions.
(B) Each eligible partnership receiving a grant under this
paragraph shall, at a minimum -
(i) counsel students, including students who have been in the
workforce (including work in the home), about the requirements
and course offerings of the bachelor-degree-granting
institution;
(ii) conduct workshops and orientation sessions to ensure
that students are familiar with programs, including
laboratories and financial aid programs, at the
bachelor-degree-granting institution;
(iii) provide students with research experiences at
bachelor's-degree-granting institutions participating in the
partnership, including stipend support for students
participating in summer programs; and
(iv) provide faculty mentors for students participating in
activities under clause (iii), including summer salary support
for faculty mentors.
Funds used by eligible partnerships to carry out clauses (i) and
(ii) shall be from non-Federal sources. In-cash and in-kind
resources used by eligible partnerships to carry out clauses (i)
and (ii) shall not be considered to be contributions for purposes
of applying subsection (f)(3) of this section.
(C) Any institution participating in a partnership that
receives a grant under this paragraph shall be ineligible to
receive assistance under part B of title I of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.] for the duration
of the grant received under this paragraph.
(2) Outreach grants
The Director shall make grants to associate-degree-granting
colleges with outstanding mathematics and science programs to
strengthen relationships with secondary schools in the community
served by the college by improving mathematics and science
education and encouraging the interest and aptitude of secondary
school students for careers in science and advanced-technology
fields through such means as developing agreements with local
educational agencies to enable students to satisfy entrance and
course requirements at the associate-degree-granting college.
(d) Coordination with other Federal departments
In carrying out this section, the Director shall consult,
cooperate, and coordinate, to enhance program effectiveness and to
avoid duplication, with the programs and policies of other relevant
Federal agencies. In carrying out subsection (c) of this section,
the Director shall coordinate activities with programs receiving
assistance under part B of title I of the Higher Education Act of
1965 [20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.].
(e) Limitation on funding
To qualify for a grant under this section, an
associate-degree-granting college, or consortium thereof, shall
provide assurances adequate to the Director that it will not
decrease its level of spending of funds from non-Federal sources on
advanced scientific and technical education and training programs.
(f) Functions of Director
In carrying out sections 1862h to 1862j of this title, the
Director shall -
(1) award grants on a competitive, merit basis;
(2) ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grant
awards;
(3) ensure that an applicant for a grant awarded under
subsection (a), (b), or (c)(1) of this section will make an
in-cash or in-kind contribution in an amount equal to at least 25
percent of the cost of the program, and for a grant awarded under
subsection (c)(2) of this section will make an in-cash or in-kind
contribution in an amount at least equal to the amount of the
grant award;
(4) establish and maintain a readily accessible inventory of
the programs assisted under sections 1862h to 1862j of this
title; and
(5) designate an officer of the National Science Foundation to
serve as a liaison with associate-degree-granting institutions
for the purpose of enhancing the role of such institutions in the
activities of the Foundation.
(g) Definitions
As used in this section -
(1) the term "advanced-technology" includes advanced technical
activities such as the modernization, miniaturization,
integration, and computerization of electronic, hydraulic,
pneumatic, laser, nuclear, chemical, telecommunication, fiber
optic, robotic, and other technological applications to enhance
productivity improvements in manufacturing, communication,
transportation, commercial, and similar economic and national
security activities;
(2) the term "associate-degree-granting college" means an
institution of higher education (as determined under section 101
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 1001]) that -
(A) is a nonprofit institution that offers a 2-year
associate-degree program or a 2-year certificate program; or
(B) is a proprietary institution that offers a 2-year
associate-degree program;
(3) the term "bachelor-degree-granting institution" means an
institution of higher education (as determined under section 101
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 1001]) that offers
a baccalaureate degree program;
(4) the term "eligible partnership" means one or more
associate-degree-granting colleges in partnership with one or
more separate bachelor-degree-granting institutions; and
(5) the term "local educational agency" has the meaning given
such term in section 2891(12) )1(! of title 20.
|
|