Section 656.21 - [Effective 8/15/2025] What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application for a comprehensive Center?The Secretary evaluates an application for a comprehensive Center on the basis of the criteria in this section.
(a)Center scope, personnel, and operations. The Secretary reviews each application to determine one or more of the following:(1) The extent to which the proposed Center's area of focus meets the requirements in § 656.3(a) .(2) The extent to which the project director and other individuals, including relevant staff and faculty, are qualified to administer the proposed Center and oversee the implementation of project activities, including the degree to which they engage in ongoing professional development activities relevant to their roles at the proposed Center.(3) The adequacy of governance and oversight arrangements for the proposed Center, including the extent to which faculty from a variety of academic units participate in administration and oversee outreach activities, and, for a consortium, the extent to which the consortium agreement demonstrates commitment to a common objective.(4) The extent to which the institution provides or will provide financial, administrative, and other support for the operation of the proposed Center at a level sufficient to enable the administration of the proposed project and coordination of educational initiatives in the proposed Center's area of focus.(b)Quality of existing academic programs. The Secretary reviews each application to determine one or more of the following:(1) The extent to which the institution makes high-quality training, especially integrated interdisciplinary training in modern foreign languages and area studies, appropriate to the applicant's area of focus, available in the curricula for graduate, professional, and undergraduate students in a wide variety of educational programs.(2) The extent to which the institution routinely provides language instruction, including intensive language instruction, relevant to the applicant's area of focus at multiple levels, as well as the degree to which these offerings represent distinctive commitments to depth or breadth.(3) The extent to which qualified experts at the institution provide modern foreign language instruction in the applicant's area of focus, as well as the degree to which this instruction utilizes stated performance goals for functional foreign language use and the degree to which stated performance goals are met or are likely to be met by students.(4) The extent to which the institution employs a critical mass of scholars in the applicant's area of focus, including the degree to which the institution employs enough qualified tenured and tenure-track faculty with teaching and advising responsibilities to enable the applicant to carry out interdisciplinary instructional and training programs supported by sufficient depth and breadth of course offerings in the applicant's area of focus.(c)Impact of existing activities and resources. The Secretary reviews each application to determine one or more of the following:(1) The extent to which the applicant, affiliated faculty, and institutional partners contribute significantly to the national interest in advanced research and scholarship related to the applicant's area of focus.(2) The extent to which the institution's library holdings (print and non-print, physical and digital, English and foreign language) and other research collections are important library collections in the applicant's area of focus that support advanced training and research, including the degree to which holdings are made available to researchers throughout the United States, the degree to which collections include unique or rare resources, and the degree to which the collections are managed by experts in the applicant's area of focus with appropriate professional training.(3) The extent to which the applicant, including affiliated faculty and institutional partners, generates information about the applicant's area of focus, disseminates this information to various audiences in the United States, and effectively engages those audiences through sustained outreach activities at the regional and national levels that respond to the diverse needs of, for example, elementary and secondary schools, State educational agencies, postsecondary institutions, nonprofit organizations, businesses, the media, and Federal agencies.(4) The extent to which the applicant's activities address national needs related to language and area studies expertise and knowledge, including, but not limited to, the applicant's record in placing students into post-graduate employment, education, or training in areas of national need related to language and area studies knowledge.(d)Project design and rationale. The Secretary reviews each application to determine one or more of the following: (1) The extent to which the intended outcomes of the proposed project are clearly specified, are possible to achieve within the project period, and address specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities related to the Center's area of focus, the purpose of the National Resource Centers Program described in § 656.1 , and the comprehensive type of Center described in § 656.3(b) .(2) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to contribute to meeting national needs related to language and area studies expertise and knowledge, including, but not limited to, by the proposed project's intended outcomes and other stated efforts related to increasing the number of students that go into post-graduate employment, education, or training in areas of national need.(3) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build academic and/or institutional capacity in the Center's area of focus and sustain results beyond the project period.(4) The extent to which the proposed project will reflect diverse perspectives, as defined in part 655, and a wide range of views and generate debate on world regions and international affairs.(e)Project planning and budget. The Secretary reviews each application to determine one or more of the following:(1) The extent to which all proposed activities are adequately described relative to their contribution to the proposed project's intended outcomes.(2) The extent to which all proposed activities are of high quality, including the degree to which they align with the purpose of the National Resource Centers program described in § 656.1 , the comprehensive type of Center described in § 656.3(b) , and the proposed project's intended outcomes.(3) The extent to which the proposed timeline of activities and other application materials, such as letters of support, demonstrate the feasibility of completing proposed activities during the project period.(4) The extent to which all costs are itemized in the budget narrative and the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.(f)Quality of project evaluation. The Secretary reviews each application to determine one or more of the following: (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the proposed project.(2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving the proposed project's intended outcomes.(3) The qualifications, including relevant training, experience, and independence, of the evaluator(s).