Section 1010.10  Eligible Applicants

 

Applicants eligible to receive grants are not-for-profit corporations organized to administer programs of interinstitutional cooperation in higher education or public or nonpublic institutions of higher education participating in interinstitutional cooperation programs.

 

(Source:  Amended at 6 Ill. Reg. 5518, effective April 14, 1982)

 

Section 1010.20  Selection of Projects for Grants

 

a)         Types of Projects.  Grants will be made for the following types of projects:

 

1)         A regional academic center is a cooperative organization of two or more institutions of higher education that coordinates postsecondary academic programs and services;

 

2)         A short-term experimental educational program which, if successful, can show some reasonable expectation of being continued with support from other sources;

 

3)         An educational program of statewide significance.

 

b)         Criteria.  Projects shall meet the following criteria:

 

1)         Use of educational resources in an effective and efficient manner;

 

2)         Development of innovative concepts and applications that effectively deliver educational programs;

 

3)         Involvement of the local community;

 

4)         Effectiveness as a cooperative function as opposed to a function carried out by a single existing institution;

 

5)         Consistency with the Illinois master plan for higher education;

 

6)         Designation as a program to serve a secular purpose as opposed to any sectarian purpose.

 

c)         Additional criteria for regional academic centers.  In addition to the criteria listed in 1010.20(b), regional academic centers must meet the following additional criteria in order to be eligible for a grant:

 

1)         Mission

 

A)        The regional academic center must have established a clearly defined mission to serve the educational needs of the region through coordinated planning and delivery of instructional programs.  A clearly defined mission explains the purpose, role and function of the center and is written by the participating institutions.

 

B)        The mission of the regional academic center and the mission of each participating institution must be compatible, and the mission of the regional academic center must receive the endorsement of the chief executive officers of each participating institution.

 

2)         Needs and Priorities

 

A)        The regional academic center must provide programs to a region of the State which are not adequately provided by existing postsecondary institutions in the region as determined by needs assessments submitted by the applicants.

 

B)        The programs delivered under the auspices of the regional academic center must be compatible with the Board of Higher Education's master plan policies (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1070), when applicable.

 

C)        The regional academic center must meet local and regional educational needs as identified by periodic needs assessments and community involvement.

 

3)         Governance

 

A)        The regional academic center must have a governance structure that includes institutional and community representation, and thereby assures that the governance of the regional academic center reflects both institutional and regional concerns.

 

B)        The participating institutions collectively must have the academic programs and services to address the educational needs of the region.

 

4)         Administration

 

A)        The regional academic center staff must be qualified to provide academic leadership for the regional academic center commensurate with the level of academic programs and services offered by the center.

 

B)        The regional academic center and its participating institutions must share the responsibility for assuring that the criteria for Board of Higher Education program approval are maintained.

 

C)        The administrative structure of the regional academic center must provide for periodic needs assessments and program planning.

 

D)        The administrative structure of the regional academic center must provide for monitoring of academic policies and evaluation of academic programs.

 

5)         Financing.  The regional academic center must provide in its proposal information about additional financial and other resources that are available to maintain long-term support required to fulfill its mission.

 

(Source:  Amended at 9 Ill. Reg. 8146, effective May 16, 1985)

 

Section 1010.25  Grant Application Procedures

 

a)         At any time that grant funds become available or that the Board has reason to believe that grant funds may become available, the Board shall notify in writing the chief executive officer of every public and nonpublic institution of higher education in the state of Illinois of the availability or projected availability of such funds.  Such notice shall contain, at a minimum, the following information:

 

1)         The deadline for the submission of applications, which deadline shall not be less than 45 days from the date of mailing of such notice; and

 

2)         The date which such grants will be made and the deadline for the completion of grant projects, which deadline shall not be more than two years from the date of the grant.

 

b)         Grant proposals shall contain, at a minimum:

 

1)         Synopsis;

 

2)         Statement of goals and specific objectives consistent with Section 4 of the Higher Education Cooperation Act;

 

3)         Detailed description of the proposed project, including activities, completion schedule, operating procedures and justification for funding;

 

4)         Evaluation procedures to determine the effectiveness of the project; and

 

5)         Budget by line item, which line items shall include personal services, contractual services, commodities, equipment, telecommunications, travel and audit.

 

c)         Once grants are awarded by the Board, the Board shall notify each applicant in writing concerning its application.

 

d)         Application information may be obtained from and shall be submitted to:

 

HECA Grant Program

Illinois Board of Higher Education

500 Reisch Building

4 West Old Capital Square

Springfield, Illinois 62701

 

(Source:  Added at 14 Ill. Reg. 7497, effective May 4, 1990)

 

Section 1010.30  Conditions and Administrative Responsibilities

 

a)         Non-Discrimination.  No recipient shall discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex, handicap, color, or national origin in the employment, training, or promotion of personnel or in the implementation of the program funded by the grant.

 

b)         Grant Period.  Grants shall be for the period stated in the grant agreement but in no event for more than two years from the date of the grant.

 

c)         Unexpended Grant Funds.  Any unexpended portion of the grant funds shall be refunded to the Board.

 

d)         Fund Transfers.  The transfer of any funds from one line item to another set forth in the budget must be approved in advance by the staff of the Board if that transfer will be in excess of twenty percent (20%) of the particular line item from which the funds are to be transferred.  Failure to obtain such approval means the grant recipient must refund to the Board all of the grant funds transferred in excess of the twenty percent ceiling.

 

e)         Record Keeping.  All costs charged to the program shall be supported by properly executed payrolls, time records, invoices, contracts and vouchers evidencing in proper detail the nature and propriety of the charges.  Such records shall be kept separately from other documents and maintained for a period of three years after receipt of final payment.

 

f)         Evaluation and Audits.  Within ninety days of the end of the grant period, the recipient shall submit to the Board an evaluation of the project. In addition, the recipient shall submit an audit of expenditures prepared by an external auditor who is registered as a public accountant by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation.  The evaluation of the project shall include systematic and objective procedures for appraising the project with respect to how closely the purposes were fulfilled and an explanation of any deviation therefrom.  Any recipient which fails to submit an audit shall refund the entire grant amount to the Board.  Complete payment of grant funds for any continuing project shall be contingent upon submission of the evaluation and audit for the previous grant period.

 

g)         Contracts.  All grants awarded under this program shall be made through contractual agreements between the Board and the recipient. Such agreements shall comply with the provisions of the Grant Funds Recovery Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 127, pars. 2301 et seq.).

 

(Source:  Amended at 14 Ill. Reg. 7497, effective May 4, 1990)

 

Section 1010.40  Grant Application Procedures (Repealed)

 

(Source:  Repealed at 14 Ill. Reg. 7497, effective May 4, 1990)