Authority:
7 U.S.C. 3103.
Source:
77 FR 25040, Apr. 27, 2012, unless otherwise noted.
§ 3434.1 Applicability of regulations.
This part establishes the process to certify and designate a group of eligible educational institutions as Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities, as authorized by Section 7101 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA), 7 U.S.C. 3103; Public Law 110–246.
The Secretary will follow the processes and criteria established in this regulation to certify and designate qualifying colleges and universities as HSACUs. Institutions designated as HSACUs will be eligible for five new programs authorized by Congress in section 7129 of the FCEA as well as for other ongoing NIFA programs for which HSACUs are now eligible ( e.g., integrated programs authorized by section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998). The five new programs include the HSACU Endowment Fund (formula-based), HSACU Institutional Capacity Building Grants Program (competitive), HSACU Extension Grants Program (competitive), HSACU Applied and Fundamental Research Grants Program (competitive), and HSACU Equity Grants Program (formula-based). The administrative provisions, including reporting requirements, for the HSACU Endowment Fund will be established in a separate part (7 CFR part 3437). The administrative provisions and reporting requirements for the other four new HSACU programs will be established as subparts in 7 CFR part 3430.
As used in this part:
Agency or NIFA means the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Agriculture-related fields means a group of instructional programs that are determined to be agriculture-related fields of study for HSACU eligibility purposes by a panel of National Program Leaders at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Department means the United States Department of Agriculture.
Hispanic-serving Institution means an institution of higher education that:
(1) Is an eligible institution, as that term is defined at 20 U.S.C. 1101a; and
(2) Has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System during the fall semester of the previous academic year.
Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture and any other officer or employee of the Department to whom the authority involved has been delegated.
(a) General. To be eligible to receive designation as a HSACU, colleges and universities must:
(1) Qualify as Hispanic-serving Institutions; and
(2) Offer associate, bachelors, or other accredited degree programs in agriculture-related fields pursuant to §3434.5.
(b) Non-eligibility. The following colleges and universities are ineligible for HSACU certification:
(1) 1862 land-grant institutions, as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601);
(2) Institutions that appear in the Lists of Parties Excluded from Federal financial and nonfinancial assistance and benefits programs (Excluded Parties List System);
(3) Institutions that are not accredited by a nationally recognized accredited agency or association; and
(4) Institutions with Hispanic students receiving less than 15% of the degrees awarded in agriculture-related programs over the two most recent completed academic years.
§ 3434.5 Agriculture-related fields.
(a) The Secretary shall use the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) coding system developed by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics as the source of information for all existing instructional programs. This source is located at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode.
(b) A complete list of instructional programs deemed to be agriculture-related fields by the Secretary is provided in Appendix A to this part. This list will include the full six-digit CIP code and program title (or major) for each agriculture-related instructional program.
(c) The list of agriculture-related fields will be updated every five years starting in 2015. However, the Secretary reserves the right to make changes at any time, if deemed appropriate and necessary.
(d) Any changes made in the CIP coding system by the U.S. Department of Education may result in a review or reevaluation of the list of agriculture-related fields by the Secretary.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, institutions that meet the eligibility criteria set forth in §3434.4 and offer agriculture-related programs in accordance to the criteria set forth in §3434.5 (see list in Appendix A to this part) shall be granted HSACU certification by the Secretary.
(b) A complete list of institutions with HSACU certification shall be provided in Appendix B to this part and posted on the NIFA Web site at http://www.nifa.usda.gov.
(c) Institutions with Hispanic students receiving less than 15% of degrees awarded in agriculture-related programs during the two most recent completed academic years shall not be granted HSACU certification by the Secretary.
(d) The list of HSACU institutions will be updated annually. However, the Secretary reserves the right to make changes at any time, when deemed appropriate and necessary.
§ 3434.7 Duration of certification.
(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, HSACU certification granted to an institution by the Secretary under this part shall remain valid for a period of one year.
(b) Failure to maintain eligibility status at any time during the HSACU certification period shall result in an immediate revocation of HSACU certification.
(c) Failure to remain in compliance with reporting requirements or adherence to any administrative or national policy requirements listed in award terms and conditions for any of the HSACU programs may result in a suspension or an immediate revocation of HSACU certification.
(a) An institution not listed as a HSACU in Appendix B to this part may submit an appeal to address denial of a certification made pursuant to this part. Such appeals must be in writing and received by the HSACU Appeals Officer, Policy and Oversight Division, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 800 9th Street SW., Washington, DC 20024 within 30 days following an announcement of institutions designated for certification. The Appeals Officer will consider the record of the decision in question, any further written submissions by the institution, and other available information and shall provide the appellant a written decision as promptly as circumstances permit. Such appeals constitute an administrative review of the decision appealed from and are not conducted as an adjudicative proceeding.
(b) Appeals involving an agriculture-related field of study must include the CIP code and program title of the field of study (or major).
(c) Appeals from non-HSI schools will not be considered.
(d) The NIFA Assistant Director of the Institute of Youth, Family, and Community shall serve as the Appeals Officer.
(e) In considering such appeals or administrative reviews, the Appeals Officer shall take into account alleged errors in professional judgment or alleged prejudicial procedural errors by NIFA officials. The Appeals Officer's decision may:
(1) Reverse the appealed decision;
(2) Affirm the appealed decision;
(3) Where appropriate, withhold a decision until additional materials are provided. The Appeals Officer may base his/her decision in whole or part on matters or factors not discussed in the decision appealed from.
(f) If the NIFA decision on the appeal is adverse to the appellant or if an appellant's request for review is rejected, the appellant then has the option of submitting a request to the NIFA Deputy Director for Food and Community Resources for further review.
(g) The request for further review must be submitted to Policy and Oversight Division, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 800 9th Street SW., Washington, DC 20024 within 30 days following the Appeals Officer's decision.
(h) No institution shall be considered to have exhausted its administrative remedies with respect to the certification or decision described in this part until the NIFA Deputy Director for Food and Community Resources has issued a final administrative decision pursuant to this section. The decision of the NIFA Deputy Director for Food and Community Resources is considered final.
(i) Appellants shall be notified in writing of any decision made by NIFA in regards to the appeal.
§ 3434.9 Recertification.
(a) The recertification process for a HSACU remains the same as the process outlined in §3434.6.
(b) There is no limit to the number of times an institution may be recertified as a HSACU.
(c) In the event an institution is not granted recertification due to noncompliance with reporting requirements for a HSACU program, the institution shall be notified in writing and given a period of 90 days from the date of notification to be in compliance.
§ 3434.10 Reporting requirements.
(a) The certification process does not involve any reporting requirements.
(b) Reporting requirements for HSACU programs ( e.g., HSACU Endowment Fund) shall be established in separate parts.
Appendix A to Part 3434—List of Agriculture-Related Fields
The instructional programs listed in this appendix are observed to be agriculture-related fields for HSACU eligibility purposes. Programs are listed in numerical order by their six-digit CIP code followed by the full title of the instructional program, as listed by the U.S. Department of Education.
01.0000, Agriculture, General
01.0101, Agricultural Business and Management, General
01.0102, Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations
01.0103, Agricultural Economics
01.0104, Farm/Farm and Ranch Management
01.0105, Agricultural/Farm Supplies Retailing and Wholesaling
01.0106, Agricultural Business Technology
01.0199, Agricultural Business and Management, Other
01.0201, Agricultural Mechanization, General
01.0204, Agricultural Power Machinery Operation
01.0205, Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology
01.0299, Agricultural Mechanization, Other
01.0301, Agricultural Production Operations, General
01.0302, Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production
01.0303, Aquaculture
01.0304, Crop Production
01.0306, Dairy Husbandry and Production
01.0307, Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management
01.0308, Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture
01.0309, Viticulture and Enology
01.0399, Agricultural Production Operations, Other
01.0401, Agricultural and Food Products Processing
01.0504, Dog/Pet/Animal Grooming
01.0505, Animal Training
01.0507, Equestrian/Equine Studies
01.0508, Taxidermy/Taxidermist
01.0599, Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services, Other
01.0601, Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Operations, General
01.0603, Ornamental Horticulture
01.0604, Greenhouse Operations and Management
01.0605, Landscaping and Groundskeeping
01.0606, Plant Nursery Operations and Management
01.0607, Turf and Turfgrass Management
01.0608, Floriculture/Floristry Operations and Management
01.0699, Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Business Services, Other
01.0701, International Agriculture
01.0801, Agricultural and Extension Education Services
01.0802, Agricultural Communication/Journalism
01.0899, Agricultural Public Services, Other
01.0901, Animal Sciences, General
01.0902, Agricultural Animal Breeding
01.0903, Animal Health
01.0904, Animal Nutrition
01.0905, Dairy Science
01.0906, Livestock Management
01.0907, Poultry Science
01.0999, Animal Sciences, Other
01.1001, Food Science
01.1002, Food Technology and Processing
01.1099, Food Science and Technology, Other
01.1101, Plant Sciences, General
01.1102, Agronomy and Crop Science
01.1103, Horticultural Science
01.1104, Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding
01.1105, Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management
01.1106, Range Science and Management
01.1199, Plant Sciences, Other
01.1201, Soil Science and Agronomy, General
01.1202, Soil Chemistry and Physics
01.1203, Soil Microbiology
01.1299, Soil Sciences, Other
01.9999, Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences, Other
03.0101, Natural Resources/Conservation, General
03.0103, Environmental Studies
03.0104, Environmental Science
03.0199, Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Other
03.0201, Natural Resources Management and Policy
03.0204, Natural Resources Economics
03.0205, Water, Wetlands, and Marine Resources Management
03.0206, Land Use Planning and Management/Development
03.0207, Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism
03.0208, Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
03.0299, Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other
03.0301, Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management
03.0501, Forestry, General
03.0502, Forest Sciences and Biology
03.0506, Forest Management/Forest Resources Management
03.0508, Urban Forestry
03.0509, Wood Science and Wood Products/Pulp and Paper Technology
03.0510, Forest Resources Production and Management
03.0511, Forest Technology/Technician
03.0599, Forestry, Other
03.0601, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
03.9999, Natural Resources and Conservation, Other
13.1301, Agricultural Teacher Education
14.0301, Agricultural/Biological Engineering and Bioengineering
19.0501, Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
19.0504, Human Nutrition
19.0505, Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
19.0599, Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, Other
30.1901, Nutrition Sciences
30.3301, Sustainability Studies
51.0808, Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant
Appendix B to Part 3434—List of HSACU Institutions, 2011–2012
The institutions listed in this appendix are granted HSACU certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2011 and ending September 30, 2012. Institutions are listed alphabetically under the state of the school's location, with the campus indicated where applicable.
Arizona (3)
Arizona Western College
Phoenix College
Pima Community College
California (22)
Allan Hancock College
Bakersfield College
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
California State University-Bakersfield
California State University-Fullerton
California State University-Monterey Bay
California State University-San Bernardino
College of the Desert
El Camino Community College District
Fullerton College
Hartnell College
Merced College
Mt. San Antonio College
Porterville College
Reedley College
San Diego Mesa College
San Joaquin Delta College
Santa Ana College
Southwestern College
University of California-Merced
West Hills College Coalinga
Whittier College
Florida (3)
Florida International University
Miami Dade College
Saint Thomas University
Illinois (2)
City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College
Triton College
Kansas (1)
Seward County Community College
New Mexico (7)
Central New Mexico Community College
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Northern New Mexico College
University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Western New Mexico University
New York (3)
CUNY City College
CUNY LaGuardia Community College
Mercy College
Puerto Rico (14)
Bayamon Central University
Institute Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Manati
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Metro
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-San German
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
Universidad Del Turabo
Universidad Metropolitana
University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus
University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus
University of Puerto Rico-Utuado
Texas (15)
Clarendon College
Lee College
Midland College
Palo Alto College
Sul Ross State University
Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Texas State Technical College-Harlingen
University of Houston-Clear Lake
University of Texas at Brownsville
University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
University of the Incarnate Word
Washington (1)
Heritage University
