H.R. 4767 (Introduced in House) — Community College Educational Exchange Act

Section 1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the “Community College Educational Exchange Act”.

Sec. 2 Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means—

(A)

the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and

(B)

the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.

(2)

Educational exchange— The term educational exchange means an activity listed in section 102(a)(1)(B) of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2452(a)(1)(B)).

(3)

Eligible institutions— The term eligible institutions means United States junior or community colleges and United States postsecondary vocational institutions that the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development have identified that—

(A)

have entered into a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement with the Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development; or

(B)

are eligible to participate in programs and initiatives under the jurisdiction of either such agency.

(4)

Junior or community college— The term junior or community college mean an institution of higher education (as such term is defined in section 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)))—

(A)

that admits as regular students persons who are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in the State in which the institution is located and who have the ability to benefit from the training offered by the institution;

(B)

that does not provide an educational program for which it awards a bachelor’s degree (or an equivalent degree); and

(C)

that—

(i)

provides an educational program of not less than 2 years that is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree, or

(ii)

offers a 2-year program in engineering, mathematics, or the physical or biological sciences, designed to prepare a student to work as a technician or at the semiprofessional level in engineering, scientific, or other technological fields requiring the understanding and application of basic engineering, scientific, or mathematical principles of knowledge.

(5)

Postsecondary vocational institution— The term postsecondary vocational institution means a school that—

(A)

provides an eligible program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation;

(B)

meets the requirements of paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5) of section 102(c) in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)); and

(C)

has been in existence for at least 2 years.

(6)

Relevant Federal departments and agencies— The term relevant Federal departments and agencies includes—

(A)

the Department of State;

(B)

the United States Agency for International Development; and

(C)

any other Federal department or agency that is engaged in designing, providing, or supporting United States foreign assistance (including development finance) that the President determines is relevant for the purposes of this Act.

Sec. 3 Expanding exchange programming for international scholars and experts to study at United States junior or community colleges and United States postsecondary vocational institutions

(a)

In general— The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development should seek to strengthen and expand partnerships and educational exchange opportunities, including by working with eligible institutions, that build the capacity and expertise of students, scholars, and experts in key development sectors, including—

(1)

food systems and agriculture-led economic growth;

(2)

microenterprise business development and entrepreneurship;

(3)

early childhood education;

(4)

engineering;

(5)

information technology;

(6)

media;

(7)

social services, health, and public safety;

(8)

tourism and hospitality management;

(9)

water, sanitation, and hygiene;

(10)

water security; and

(11)

environmental resilience.

(b)

Exchange programming— To deepen relationships and educational exchange between foreign participants from underrepresented backgrounds and the United States in ways that advance United States foreign policy goals and increase academic collaboration, there is established in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State a Community College and Postsecondary Vocational Institution Initiative Program to provide scholarships for students, scholars, and technical experts to spend up to one academic year at eligible institutions to support knowledge and skills training in the sectors referred to in subsection (a).

Sec. 4 Building the capacity of United States junior or community colleges and United States postsecondary vocational institutions to expand study abroad programming

(a)

Capacity building program— To strengthen educational grant opportunities for eligible institutions and expand educational exchanges with these institutions, there is established in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State a capacity building program to increase the capacity of eligible institutions to create and expand study abroad programs for their scholars through small-grant and in-person and virtual study abroad capacity building activities. This program should seek to prepare scholars to contribute to the fields critical to United States national and economic security.

(b)

Small-Grant and in-Person and virtual study abroad capacity building activities— The Secretary of State is authorized to award grants, provide technical assistance, and develop resources for the program outlined in subsection (a) to—

(1)

increase the number of eligible institution students participating in study abroad programs;

(2)

provide training for faculty and staff at eligible institutions to design, implement, and sustain study abroad programs;

(3)

create and disseminate toolkits, curriculum guides, and program templates for eligible institutions seeking to launch or expand study abroad offerings;

(4)

fund faculty and staff training workshops on best practices for developing, managing, and sustaining study abroad programs;

(5)

support the development of study abroad programs aligned with workforce needs to STEM, technical, and vocational fields;

(6)

pilot hybrid exchange models that combine virtual and short-term in-person components to make study abroad more flexible and accessible for students at eligible institutions;

(7)

develop outreach and advising resources for underrepresented student populations to increase their participation in study-abroad programs; and

(8)

other activities the Secretary of State determines are necessary to strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions to create or expand their ability to administer study abroad programs.

Sec. 5 Communications and outreach programming

As part of strengthening and enhancing partnerships, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall advance outreach to and communications with eligible institutions, including by—

(1)

providing technical assistance in the development of grant and partnership applications; and

(2)

upon request, providing feedback to eligible institutions to the maximum extent practicable, after a grant rejection in order to improve future grant applications, as appropriate.

Sec. 6 Congressional consultation

Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall consult with the appropriate congressional committees regarding implementation of—

(1)

the countries prioritized for the program established by section 3;

(2)

existing partnerships and programs between relevant Federal departments and agencies and eligible institutions and efforts to expand such partnerships and programs;

(3)

efforts to strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions to participate, or to be eligible to participate, in relevant programs and initiatives; and

(4)

any progress made towards—

(A)

advancing plans to develop partnerships or programs and initiatives with eligible institutions that are not engaged in existing partnerships with relevant Federal departments and agencies;

(B)

identifying plans in which an eligible institution may participate; and

(C)

any other information that relevant Federal departments and agencies determine is relevant to promoting opportunities to fund, partner, contract, or otherwise interact with eligible institutions.

Community College Educational Exchange Act