12 2 STA T .34 24 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 31 5— AU G .14 , 200 8ofhig h er e ducat io n, that recei v e s a grant under this section, m a y carry out the activities of the grant in p artnership w ith —‘ ‘ (A) an educationa l service agency (as defined in sec - tion 910 1 of the E lementary and S econdary Education Act of 19 65 )
or ‘‘( B ) a nonprofit organi z ation with demonstrated e x per- tise in rural education at the secondary and postsecondary levels . ‘‘(d) GRANTS A U T HO R IZED .— ‘‘(1) I N G ENERA L .— F rom amounts made availa b le under subsection (g), the Secretary is authorized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible rural-serving institutions of higher education or a consortium of such institutions, to carry out the activities described in subsection (f). ‘‘( 2 ) D URATION.—A grant awarded under this section shall be awarded for a period not to exceed three years. ‘‘( 3 ) M A X I M UM AND MINIMUM GRANTS.— N o grant awarded under this section shall be less than $ 200,000. ‘‘( 4 )S P E C IAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to applications that demonstrate the most potential and propose the most promising and innovative approaches for— ‘‘(A) increasing the percentage of graduates of rural secondary schools attending rural-serving institutions of higher education; ‘‘(B) meeting the employment needs of regional employers with graduates of rural-serving institutions of higher education; and ‘‘( C ) improving the health of the regional economy of a rural area through a partnership of local educational agencies serving the rural area, rural-serving institutions of higher education, and regional employers. ‘‘(5) L IMITATION.—A rural-serving institution of higher edu- cation shall not receive more than one grant under this section. ‘‘(e) APPLICATIONS.—Each rural-serving institution of higher education desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and con- taining such information as the Secretary may reasonably re q uire. ‘‘(f) R E Q UIRED U SEO F FUNDS.—A rural-serving institution of higher education that receives a grant under this section shall use grant funds for at least three of the following four purposes
‘‘(1) T o improve postsecondary enrollment rates for rural secondary school students at rural-serving institutions of higher education, which may include— ‘‘(A) programs to provide students and families with counseling related to applying for postsecondary education, and Federal and State financial assistance for postsec- ondary education; ‘‘(B) programs that provide students and families of rural high schools access and exposure to campuses, classes, programs, and internships of rural-serving institu- tions of higher education, including covering the cost of transportation to and from such institutions; and ‘‘(C) other initiatives that assist students and families in applying for and developing interest in attending rural- serving institutions of higher education. Rural ar e a s.
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