Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Submission
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Certification Form (3145-NEW)
A. Justification
A.1. Circumstances Requiring the Collection of Data
To enhance the quality of undergraduate STEM education at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), the National Science Foundation (NSF) established the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), in response to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) and the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (P.L. 114-329).
The HSI Program supports projects that will 1) develop, implement, and test models for the retention of students advancing from lower-division courses to upper-division STEM coursework, including those transferring from a two-year to a four-year institution; 2) create evidence-based and evidence-generating approaches that increase the graduation rates of students pursuing STEM associate or baccalaureate degrees at HSIs; 3) enhance research that improves understanding of how to build faculty capacity and student opportunities to conduct STEM research or STEM educational research at HSIs through partnerships with other HSIs and organizations (e.g., federal laboratories, research centers, industrial or business organizations, non-profit entities, etc.); and 4) increase knowledge about evidence-based approaches to engage student learning and how to broaden the participation of undergraduate students majoring in STEM disciplines at HSIs.
The HSI Program will accept proposals in two tracks: (1) Building Capacity and (2) HSIs New to NSF. The Building Capacity track is open to all eligible institutions and has three priority areas: Critical Transitions; Innovative Cross-Sector Partnerships; and Research on Broadening Participation in STEM. The HSIs New to NSF track is open only to eligible institutions that have never received NSF funding, or that have not received NSF funding in the five years preceding the proposal deadline. The HSI Program will also fund one Resource Hub project that will support the needs of HSIs with little or no prior NSF funding, such as assistance with proposal writing and financial compliance. In addition, the Resource Hub will facilitate networking and professional development that build and strengthen collaborations among HSIs.
The lead institution submitting a proposal to the HSI Program must certify that they meet the eligibility requirements of an HSI as defined by law in section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a) (http://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/HEA65_CMD.pdf). Therefore, the HSI Certification Form, signed by the institutional representative, must be included as a supplementary document with the submission of a proposal to the HSI Program.
A.2. Purpose and Use of Data
The lead institution submitting a proposal to the HSI Program must be a Hispanic-Serving Institution of higher education as defined by law in section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a) (http://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/HEA65_CMD.pdf). Thus, the HSI Certification Form will be used to satisfy the eligibility requirement of the HSI Program.
A.3. Use of Automation
Certification forms are submitted electronically as supplementary documents with the submission of proposals via FastLane or via Grants.gov submission tools.
A.4. Efforts to Identify Duplication
No other federal agencies or organization within NSF collects the same data submitted in the HSI Certification Form.
A.5. Small Business Consideration
N/A
A. 6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection
N/A, because a certification form is only required with the submission of a proposal to the HSI Program.
A.7. Special Circumstances for Collection
N/A
A. 8. Federal Register Notice and Outside Consultation
The agency’s notice, as required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), was published in the Federal Register on December 12, 2017, at 82 FR 58454, and no comments were received.
A. 9. Gifts or Remuneration
N/A
A.10. Confidentiality provided to respondents
Any information provided will be kept within NSF, or held by the office.
A. 11. Questions of a Sensitive Nature
No questions of a sensitive nature are used.
A. 12. Estimate of Burden
We anticipate 175 proposals for 2 minutes, which is approximately 6 hours.
A. 13. Capital/Startup Costs
N/A
A. 14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government
N/A; this is part of conducting the activities of the program.
A. 15. Changes in Burden
N/A; this is a new request.
A. 16 Publication of Collection
N/A
A. 17 Approval to Not Display OMB Expiration Date
N/A
A. 18 Exception to Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I Certification Statement
N/A
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Abt Single-Sided Body Template |
| Author | Anderson, Gregory J. |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-21 |