Deadline: 10-Apr-23
The Office of Global Educational Programs of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition to administer the FY 2023 Community College Administrator Program (CCAP).
The CCAP advances U.S. vocational and technical education globally through the exchange of foreign government officials and senior administrators in higher education to the United States to examine the key tenets of U.S. community college administration and to witness innovative approaches to address current global educational and workforce development needs. The program advances U.S. higher education models, promotes American values among foreign participants, and provides professional development for key foreign officials responsible for designing and overseeing higher education systems that will educate youth to meet emerging labor market demands.
Purpose
- The CCAP advances U.S. vocational and technical education globally through the exchange of foreign government officials and senior administrators in higher education to the United States to examine the key tenets of U.S. community college administration and to witness innovative approaches to address current global educational and workforce development needs.
- The CCAP will support the development of higher education in one or more countries by expanding the capacity of key educators and administrators to strengthen vocational and technical institutions that serve diverse audiences that may include economically disadvantaged and historically underserved populations.
- Through the lens of vocational and technical education, the program will provide exchange participants with a comprehensive understanding of U.S. community college leadership and administration, while also guiding participants in the development of projects that will apply relevant lessons from the U.S. community colleges to education in their home countries with an emphasis on institutional change.
- Proposals should demonstrate the applicant’s proven ability to provide professional-level content on and across a wide-array of vocational-technical and higher education topics as described herein, coupled with practical opportunities to experience campus life and administration at one or more community colleges and to engage with broader educational, governmental, and private sector networks served by U.S. community colleges.
Goals
- The goals of the CCAP are as follows:
- The CCAP will contribute to the improvement of post-secondary vocational and technical education and institutions in the selected country or countries and the United States.
- Participants will be provided with a comprehensive understanding of the development, organization and administration of a U.S. community college system linked to higher education and workforce training needs.
- Participants will create and maintain a professional network by meeting legislative leaders and senior policy- makers of a community college system which will enable creative solutions and innovation that may be of use in improving their own postsecondary vocational and technical institutions.
- Participants will advance their administrative skills in such areas as governance, finance, fundraising, leadership, student services, program evaluation, technology, training quality assurance, workforce development, community engagement, distance learning, and private sector partnerships.
- Participants will receive resources and tools to further their impact by joining the strong alumni network facilitated by the U.S. Department of State and participating in the implementing partner’s follow-on activities.
- The CCAP will enhance the ability of U.S. community colleges to further internationalize their outlook and programs.
- The CCAP will contribute to fostering mutual understanding between citizens of the United States and citizens of participating countries.
Objectives
- Advance participant and beneficiary cross-cultural competence and global perspective
- Increase the impact that participants and alumni have on their communities / countries
- Strengthen engagement among participants, alumni, beneficiaries, and institutions
- Strengthen personal, professional, and technical abilities and aptitudes of participants and beneficiaries
- Increase Capacity of ECA partner institutions to achieve program strategic goals
Funding Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $500,000
- Maximum “Ceiling” of Award: $500,000.
Program Components
- Each program should include the following components:
- Pre-program planning and preparation to be aligned with the specific country or countries selected by ECA. The proposal should include a plan describing how the applicant and partners will successfully acquire the necessary degree of expertise on the selected country’s vocational and technical educational system to successfully tailor the program’s curriculum for maximum impact and provide participants with tools to create plans for institutional change.
- Academic Symposium to be administered virtually, including a mix of interactive live sessions and asynchronous materials and activities, for the approximately 16 foreign senior administrators with the option for the approximately four government/high-level officials to join. The symposium should total one week of programming, but the agenda could be delivered in set increments or all at once prior to the start of the program or at the beginning of the program.
- A two to four-week Seminar Program to be administered completely in the United States for the approximately 16 foreign senior administrators. The two to four-week seminar should include approximately 30 hours of classroom time and programming per week related to community college administration.
- A one-week Executive Dialogue to be administered in the United States for up to 20 participants (senior administrators and government or other high-level officials with higher education planning responsibilities).
- Follow-on programming, either virtually or in-person in the home country approximately 6-12 months after the completion of the program in the United States to continue engagement with participants and maximize the benefit of the participants’ program in the United States.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other notfor-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit applications for this competition. Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application.
- The following additional eligibility requirements apply to this NOFO announcement:
- ECA’s grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $130,000 in ECA funding. ECA anticipates making one cooperative agreement, in an amount of $500,000 to support all costs required to implement this exchange program. Therefore, organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges are ineligible to apply under this competition.
- Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO, POGI (if applicable), and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); noncompliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.
- Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.
Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document.
For more information, visit CCAP.