Ronald E. McNair
Postbaccalaureate
Achievement Program
FY 2012 Competition Pre-Application
Technical Assistance Workshop
Disclaimer
This document is a brief summary of the program
regulations and application requirements. Do not
rely solely on the information in this document.
Please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications and
the program regulations published in the Federal
Register for additional information, as these are the
official documents governing the competition.
How did we get here?
The McNair Program was authorized
by Congress in 1987 to commemorate
astronaut Ronald E. McNair, who lost
his life in the space shuttle Challenger
incident in 1985
The McNair Program awards grants
to institutions of higher education to
provide disadvantaged college
students with effective preparation for
doctoral study
McNair Preapplication Workshop
Overview
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Legislation and Regulations Review
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2012 McNair Competition Highlights
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Competitive Preference Priorities
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Selection Criteria and PE
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Submission Logistics
TRIO Legislation Highlights
Title IV - Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by the
Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA)
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Eligible Applicants
5 Year Grants
Outcome Criteria
New and Revised Definitions
Low-Income Documentation
Required Services and Permissible Services
10 Technical Assistance Workshops
Rank-Order Funding
Second Review Process for Unsuccessful
Applications
FY 2012
McNair Competition Highlights
3 Competitive Preference Priorities
Required and Permissible Services
Maximum funding levels
Minimum 25 participants per project
Maximum per participant cost of $8,800
Multiple applications to serve different
campuses
Electronic submission via Grants.gov
FY 2012
Competition Award Information
 $36,118,554 Million Allotment (est.)
 127 New Grants (est.)
 3,175 Students (est.)
New Grants: $220,000 Maximum Award (25
participants minimum)
Continuing Grants: Level Funding for current
number of participants
FY 2012
Competitive Preference Priorities
 The Department is announcing three competitive preference
priorities for this competition.
 Additional points (up to 6 points for competitive preference
priority 1; up to 4 points for competitive preference priority 2;
and up to 4 points for competitive preference priority 3) may be
awarded to an application, depending on how well the applicant
addresses these priorities.
 Important note: An applicant may receive up to 14 total
competitive preference priority points by addressing all
three priorities.
Competitive Preference Priorities [cont'd.]
Competitive Preference Priority 1 – Promoting
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) Education (up to 6 additional points).
 Priority : Projects designed to :
a) Provide students with increased access to STEM
coursework (2 pts)
b) Increase the number/proportion of students
prepared for advanced study and careers in STEM (2pts)
c) Increase the number of students traditionally
underrepresented in STEM in criteria a) and b) (2pts)
Competitive Preference Priorities [cont'd.]
Competitive Preference Priority 2 – Improving
Productivity (up to 4 additional points).
 Priority: Projects designed to increase efficiency in
use of resources while improving outcomes
 Projects are encouraged to propose ways to serve
the same or increased number of students,
decreasing the cost per participant while improving
student outcomes
Competitive Preference Priorities [cont'd.]
Competitive Preference Priority 3 – Building Evidence of
Effectiveness (up to 4 additional points).
 Projects designed to increase the evidence base around
practices, strategies, or policies that may help LI/FG
students, particularly in STEM fields
 Priority : Projects proposing evaluation plans likely to
produce evidence for ways to improve outcomes
 The relevant outcome(s) is to be measured multiple
times before and after treatment
 Where feasible, a comparison group is to be measured
multiple times as well
McNair Program
Regulations
 34 CFR Part 647, amended to implement
changes made to the Higher Education Act
(HEA) of 1965 by the Higher Education
Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008
 Final regulations amending 34 CFR Part 647
were published in the Federal Register on
October 26, 2010
Who is Eligible to Apply for a Grant?
§647.2
Institutions of Higher
Education
Combinations of Institutions of
Higher Education
Who is Eligible to Participate in
McNair? §647.3
Citizenship Status: a participant must be (A)
 A U.S. citizen or national of the United States; or
 A permanent resident of the United States; or
 In the United States for other than a temporary purpose and must
provide evidence from the Immigration and the Naturalization Service
of his or her intent to become a permanent resident; or
 A permanent resident of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; or
 A resident of the Freely Associated States-the Federated States of
Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of
Palau.
Who is Eligible to Participate in
McNair? [cont’d.] §647.3
Participants must also be :
(B)
 Enrolled in a degree program at an Institution of Higher Education (IHE)
(C)
 A low-income individual who is a first-generation college student; or
 A member of a group that is underrepresented in graduate education; or
 A member of a group that is underrepresented in certain academic
disciplines as documented by standard statistical references or other
national survey data submitted to and accepted by the Secretary on a
case-by-case basis.
(D)
 Not enrolled in doctoral level study at an institution of higher education.
McNair Activities and Services
(Required) §647.4
All McNair Projects MUST provide:
 Opportunities for research and other scholarly activities
 Summer internships
 Seminars to prepare students for doctoral study
 Tutoring
 Academic counseling
 Assistance in securing admission and financial assistance for
enrollment in graduate programs
McNair Activities and Services
(Permissible) §647.4
McNair projects MAY provide:
 Education or counseling services designed to improve the
financial and economic literacy of students
 Mentoring programs involving faculty members at institutions of
higher education, students, or a combination of faculty members
and students
 Exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually
available to disadvantaged students
 Other activities designed to meet the purpose of the McNair
Program
 Different
Campus
 Financial and Economic Literacy
 Graduate Center
 Groups Underrepresented in Graduate
Education
 Target Population
 Research or Scholarly Activity
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A single application unless serving different
campuses
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A single application unless serving a different
population (must be designated by the Secretary)
Up to 100 points for selection criteria in 647.21
 Up to 15 prior experience points based on past
service delivery as specified in 647.22
 PE only for existing McNair project on campus
 PE for 3 project years as designated by Secretary
 New grants made in rank order
 Tie breaker uses equitable geographic distribution
of new projects
 No new grants to applicants with history of
fraudulent activities
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Activities of an academic or scholarly nature
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Stipends up to $2,800 for eligible students
engaged in research
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Tuition, room and board, transportation costs for
summer research
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Computer hardware, software, and other
equipment (if justified)
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Payment of tuition, stipends, test
preparation and fees, or any financial
support to staff and students (unless
permitted in §647.30)
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Construction, renovation, or
remodeling
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Minimum Number of Students Served
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Determine and Document Student Eligibility
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Recordkeeping
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Student eligibility to participate
Student needs assessment
Services provided to participant
Educational progress made by student during and after
participation in the project
• Documentation of any services received from another TRIO
program or federally funded program serving similar populations
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Submit other reports and information as
requested to demonstrate program
effectiveness
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Designate a project director who has –
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authority to conduct the project effectively
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appropriate qualifications, experience, skills
What Selection Criteria Does the Secretary Use?
§647.21
1. Need
16 points
2. Objectives
9 points
3. Plan of Operation
44 points
4. Quality of Personnel
9 points
5. Adequacy of Resources and Budget
15 points
6. Evaluation Plan
7 points
Total Points
100
Maximum Points: 16
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Provide a clear definition of the target population
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Clearly describe the academic, financial, and other
problems encountered by students in pursuing postbaccalaureate studies
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Provide data to demonstrate the target population’s
underrepresentation in graduate education,
doctorate degrees conferred, and careers where a
doctorate is a prerequisite
Maximum Points: 9
 All
FOUR standardized objectives must be
addressed in your program narrative
 Each
objective must contain the achievement
rate proposed for your project as indicated on
the McNair Profile Sheet
 The
FOUR standardized objectives MAY NOT
be changed or rewritten in any way
 All
9 points will be awarded based on whether
or not your objectives are ambitious AND
attainable based on the information provided
for Need, Plan of Operation, and Adequacy of
Resources and Budget
 Applicants must provide comparative data to
show why the percentage that is proposed for
each standardized objective is ambitious AND
attainable
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES (2 points)
____% of McNair Program participants served
during the project year will have completed
appropriate research and scholarly activities
during the McNair Program academic year.
(*McNair Program Academic Year: The McNair Program academic year is the
period that most closely aligns with the first 12-month budget period for
which this new award will be made. The 2012-13 McNair Program
academic year is roughly August/September 2012 through August 2013.)
ENROLLMENT IN GRADUATE PROGRAM (3 points)
____% of McNair Program bachelor’s degree
recipients (or equivalent) will be accepted
and enrolled in a postbaccalaureate program
of study by the fall term of the academic year
immediately following the completion of
bachelor’s degree (or equivalent).
CONTINUED ENROLLMENT IN GRADUATE
STUDY (2 points)
____% of first year graduate students
will continue to be enrolled in graduate
school at the beginning of the fall term
of the next academic year.
DOCTORAL DEGREE ATTAINMENT (2 points)
____% of prior McNair Program
participants served will attain a
doctoral degree within ten (10) years of
the attainment of the bachelor’s
degree.
Applicant may provide other
objectives; however, other objectives
are not requested nor required
Additional project objectives will not
be considered or affect scoring
Maximum Points: 44
 Participant
selection criteria -Identification, Recruitment, and Selection
(4 points)
 Needs
assessment and monitoring of
academic growth (4 points)
 Provision
of research and scholarly
activities (5 points)
 Involvement
of faculty in research
activities (5 points)
 Services
and activities to prepare students
for doctoral study including internships,
seminars, etc. (5 points)
 Services
to enhance entry into
postbaccalaureate education (5 points)
 Inform
institutional community of project’s
goals and objectives (3 points)
 Administration
of project and coordination
with other programs with disadvantaged
students (8 points)
 Follow-up
(5 points)
after McNair participation
Maximum Points: 9
 Qualifications Required of Project Director
• Summarize minimum required qualifications and experience
• Do not include resumes or job descriptions
 Qualifications
Required of Other Staff
• Summarize minimum required qualifications and experience
• Do not include resumes or job descriptions
• Include information for all staff (professional, administrative,
clerical, etc.)
 Plan for Employment of Qualified Staff
• Institution’s affirmative action plan only is not adequate to address
this criterion
• Include procedures to be used to employ members of groups
underrepresented in higher education
Maximum Points: 15
 Clearly describe the proposed allocation of resources
in the budget as they relate to your project objectives
 Describe how the planned costs and resources are
reasonable in relation to the objectives and scope
 Detail any commitment of institutional resources
(commitment of research faculty, tuition and fee
waivers, etc)
**Remember: Your Institution WILL BE Held
Accountable for Resources Committed
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All NEW projects will receive a maximum of $220,000 for
the first year of operation to serve not less than 25
students each year
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Current grantees will receive a maximum award equal to
the applicant’s award amount for FY 2007, the first year
of the previous cycle, to continue to serve at least the
same number of participants that was approved for the
current project, to the extent that at least 25 participants
are served and/or the cost per participant does not
exceed $8,800
Provide a Budget Summary and Budget Narrative
for the first year only:
Budget Summary: Provide a specific dollar amount for
each appropriate line item in the budget
 Budget Narrative: Provide a succinct justification for
each line item for which a dollar amount is requested
**All Costs Must Be Reasonable in Relation to the
Objectives
Maximum Points: 7
Your Evaluation Plan should:
Include both qualitative and quantitative evaluation
measures
Examine in specific and measurable ways the
success of the project in making progress toward
achieving its objectives
Include formative and summative evaluations
Provide for description of project outcomes
Your Evaluation Plan should clearly indicate:
 Types of data to be collected
 When data will be collected
 What data collection methods will be used
 What instruments will be developed and when
 How the data will be analyzed
 When reports and outcomes will be available
 How the information developed will be used to monitor
project progress and to provide accountability information
 Who is responsible for making sure information is available
in a timely manner and is influencing the ongoing
management of the project
Maximum Points: 15
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Up to 15 PE points will be awarded under the FY 12 competition to
projects operating during project years 2008-09, 2009-10, and 201011.
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If a project served less than 90% of the funded number to be served
in a given assessment year, the project is not eligible to receive any
PE points for that particular year.
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The Department’s policy for awarding PE points for different types of
doctoral degrees between 1999-00 and 2002-03 includes granting
credit for participants that received an Ed.D. degree. The option
“Other Terminal Degree” in the Degree field included both “other
doctoral degree” as well as “first professional degree”. Since it is not
clear how many students earned an Ed.D. under this option, the
Department is allowing a one-time inclusion of “other terminal
degree”, option #4 for APR reporting years 1999-00 through 2002-03
in the doctoral degree attainment objective.
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The calculation of PE points for the three (3) assessment years
is based on:
 A project’s approved number and types of participants to be served
 A project’s approved objectives
 The student-level data a project submitted in its annual performance report
(APR)
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The final PE score for most projects is the average of the scores
for the three project years assessed (2008-09, 2009-10 and
2010-11)
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The Department has not cleaned or changed any of the studentlevel APR data projects submitted and will not accept any
changes to the APR data submitted in prior years.
Maximum of 15 Points May Be Earned Based On:
1. Number and types of participants the project was funded to
serve (3 points)
2. Percent of McNair participants will complete research and
scholarly activities that will directly impact their educational progression
each McNair Program academic year (4 points)
3. Met/Exceeded Funded Objectives as Demonstrated by
Participants’ Academic Progression
 Attained a baccalaureate degree within three (3) years (2 points)
 Enrolled in a postbaccalaureate program by the fall term of the academic year
immediately following completion of that degree (3 points)
 Attained a doctoral level within ten (10) years of the attainment of the bachelor’s
degree (3 points)
Successful applicants under the FY 2012
McNair competition will be assessed under the
following five new PE criteria at the end of the
next grant award cycle (2012 – 2017)
(1) Number of participants (3 points)
(2) Research or scholarly activities (3 points)
(3) Graduate School Enrollment (3 points)
(4) Continued enrollment in Graduate School (3
points)
(5) Doctoral Degree Attainment (2 points)
 Improve
confidence in government
 Development
of strategic plan to measure
program performance
 Performance
reporting to Congress and
public annually
McNair participants will:
 Complete
undergraduate programs at rates
higher than comparable non-participants
 Enroll
in programs of study at the graduate level
at higher rates than comparable non-participants
 Earn
doctorate degrees in various disciplines,
including the fields of mathematics and science,
at rates higher than comparable non-participants
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Applicants may not use federal funds to prepare an
application
 This includes costs incurred to attend pre-application
workshops
Federal funds may not be used to lobby
 Applicants who knowingly do business with someone
who has been debarred from doing business with the
Federal government face the possibility of cost
disallowances, termination of their grant, suspension
and debarment from Federal government procurement
and non-procurement transactions
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Additional documents that Do Not count
toward page limit:
Application face sheet (SF-424)
Table of contents
ED abstract form
McNair program profile form
Federal budget form (ED-524)
Assurances, certifications, and survey
form
Part IIIA -- McNair Profile Sheet
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All applicants must complete this form
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Provides basic applicant information
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Includes McNair standardized objectives
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Profile Sheet may not be altered or revised
All participants must be enrolled in a degree program
 Participants in research have completed sophomore
studies
 At least 2/3 of Participants must be both low-income
AND first-generation college students (Foreign
degrees count!)
 Remaining participants will be from groups
underrepresented in graduate education
 Students will not be served by more than one McNair
project at any one time and the project will collaborate
with other like programs at the institution so that more
students can be served

103-382 Improving America’s Schools Act of
1994
 Applies to all Applicants for Federal Funds
 Six (6) Types of Barriers Identified
 P.L.
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Race
Gender
National Origin
Color
Disability
Age
 Strategies
for Overcoming Identified
Barriers
• May be Incorporated into Plan of
Operation
• Must be Succinct and Clearly Identifiable
Narrative section is limited to 50 pages
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A page is 8.5 x 11 inches, on one side only, with 1 inch
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page
numbers and identifiers may be within the one inch
margin.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, except titles,
headings, footnotes, quotations, references, captions,
and all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs. Text
enclosed by borders is not considered a table.
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Use a 12 point font or larger.
Use one of the following fonts:
• Times New Roman
• Courier
• Courier New
• Arial
 50 page limit – Excluding :
• Application Face Sheet (SF-424)
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• McNair Program Profile Form
• Budget Summary Form (ED-524)
• Assurances, certifications and survey form
All applicants MUST use Grants.gov to submit
applications
 Grants.gov is a portal for all federal grant
customers
 Grants.gov has FIND and APPLY functions that
help applicants locate, learn about, and apply for
Federal grants online in a simplified, standardized
manner
 Grants.gov accepts only .PDF file types
Competitive Preference Priorities
Formatting and Submission
Applicants are permitted an additional 4 pages of
narrative for each competitive preference priority, up to
a total of 12 additional pages. Applicants should
address the competitive preference priorities separate
from the Project Narrative and submit that information in
“Other Attachments” in Grants.gov
The one-page abstract and the profile sheet must list
which competitive preference priorities are being
addressed
 Grants.gov
registration is a one-time
process that may take five (5) or more
days to complete
 You
may begin working on your
application while completing the
registration process, but you cannot
submit an application until all of the Get
Started steps are complete
 For
detailed information on the Get
Started steps, please go to:
http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted
 Please
contact Customer Support for
assistance with any technical issues:
1-800-518-4726
You may qualify for an electronic submission
waiver if:
You do not have Internet access
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents
to the Grants.gov system
If you are submitting a waiver, you must:
Mail or fax a written statement to the Department
explaining your need for a waiver, due no later than 14
calendar days before the application deadline date
If mailing, your letter must be postmarked no later than
two weeks before the application deadline date
Submit all Electronic Submission Waivers to:
Eileen Bland
US Department of Education
1990 K Street, NW, Room 7000
Washington, DC 20006-8510
202-219-7074 (Fax)
 It is not submitted by the designated closing date by 4:30:00 PM Washington,
DC time
 The application narrative exceeds the 50-page limit or does not use the
required formatting
 You exceed four (4) pages of narrative for each competitive preference
priority you address and/or do not submit that information in “Other
Attachments” in Grants.gov
 The application is submitted as a paper submission, without documentation
of the submission and approval of a required waiver
 The application proposes a budget exceeding the maximum funding amount
 The application proposes a budget to serve fewer than 25 participants
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Review Application Notices & Instructions Carefully
Register Early
Submit Early
 Important: If you start uploading your application before
4:30:00 pm Washington, D.C. time on the application
deadline date, and you do not finish uploading until after
4:30:00 pm, your application will be marked late and will not
be read.
Verify your application has submitted completely
Save and keep your own copy
Receive Email Confirmation
Note: only .PDF file types will be accepted
What Happens Next?
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Prescreening for eligibility
A panel of three expert reviewers, who are not federal
employees, will review the application
The panel will prepare an evaluation of the application
and assign points to each selection criterion. The
highest score an application may receive is 100, plus up
to 14 additional points for the competitive preference
priorities
Scores from the three reviewers will be averaged
together to determine one numeric score for the
application
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Currently funded applicants are eligible to receive up to
15 Prior Experience (PE) points
 If applicable, PE points are added to the numeric score of the
application to get a final score
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Final scores are ranked in order, highest to lowest, on a
funding slate
First slate submitted/approved
Second review (technical or administrative error, scoring
error, funding band)
Second slate submitted/approved
All successful applicants will receive a 5-year award
Keep in mind that information about this competition
contained in the Federal Register Notice is the definitive
information about the program’s requirements. This
includes, but is not limited to, eligibility requirements,
selection criteria, competitive preference priorities,
application submissions, waiver requests, grounds for
exclusion from the competition, page limits and font
sizes. If there is any conflict between information
provided here today, contained in the application
package, or otherwise conveyed to you verbally and in
writing, the criteria in the Notice always take
precedence.
For further information about the McNair Program,
please visit our Web site:
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/index.html