Cooperative Agreement No. EEC-9550502,

Amendment No. 007, Proposal No. EEC-0044227

Dear Dr. Natalicio:

Pursuant to the mutual agreement of the parties, Cooperative Agreement No. EEC-9550502 is hereby amended as follows:

UNDER SECTION III.B., FUNDING AND FUNDING SCHEDULE, ADD THE FOLLOWING:

Funds in the amount of $1,339,704 are hereby provided to support the project as the initial funding increment for Year 1 of the Phase II renewal (herein after referred to as Year 6), which is Year 6 of the project, covering the period from September 1, 2000 through August 31, 2001, in accordance with the proposal dated July 31, 1999, and the revised budget pages dated August 28, 2000.

Based on the availability of funds, NSF expects to provide the balance of funding for Year 6, in the amount of $1,160,217, early in FY 2001. The total amount of funding for Year 6 is expected to be $2,499,921, as proposed on the Year 6 budget dated July 28, 1999.

It is the intent of the Foundation to provide up to $7,496,674 over the three-year duration of Phase II, which is Years 6, 7, and 8 of the project, covering the period from September 1, 2000 through August 31, 2003.

The expiration date of this Agreement is extended to August 31, 2003.

The level of continued NSF support will be negotiated with the Awardee annually. Continuation of NSF support will depend upon an annual review of accomplishments, the availability of funds, and the scientific/technical progress of the project.

Funding for this Agreement now totals $13,427,439.

As a condition of this Agreement, the Awardee agrees to provide cost sharing as specified on Line M, “Cost Sharing,” on the revised cumulative budget dated August 28, 2000, in the total amount of $2,143,733, over the three-year duration of Phase II. The budget pages dated August 28,2000, include cost sharing in the amount of $779,269 in Year 1 (Year 6 of the project), $668,748 in Year 2 (Year 7 of the project), and $695,716 in Year 3 (Year 8 of the project). No Federal funds may be used to meet the grantee’s cost sharing obligation for this project.

The amount of cost sharing must be documented — on an annual and cumulative basis — and reported to NSF, and must be certified by an authorized organizational representative (AOR). These cost sharing reports must be included as part of the annual progress and final project reports.

UNDER SECTION III.A., STATEMENT OF WORK AND AWARDEE RESPONSIBILITIES, ADD THE FOLLOWING

The Awardee shall be responsible for the project in accordance with the Phase II proposal, “The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP): A Model Institution for Excellence (MIE),” dated July 31, 1999. The Awardee shall:

1. Offer entering SEM students the tools for academic success through a mandatory summer orientation program and a year of learning communities that includes the University Seminar, English composition, Mathematics, and introductory courses to the respective SEM disciplines.

2. Enhance SEM curricula by implementing supplemental instruction in Freshman Chemistry, guided-inquiry based learning in Sophomore Physics, and learning communities in Basic Engineering and Biology/Chemistry.

3. Develop a baccalaureate program in Environmental Science and a certification programin Sustainable (Green) Engineering.

4. Offer on-campus research experiences for SEM undergraduates during the regular academic cycle and secure off-campus research experiences for the summer.

5. Expand the study facilities and student development services provided by the Academic Center for Engineers and Scientists.

6. Expand SEM faculty enhancement services through the Center for Effective Teaching and Learning.

7. Continue the evaluation component based on the baseline data gathered during the first year of the program. The technical assistance contractor under the guidance of NSF will continue to work with UTEP to accomplish this requirement.

8. Continue the advisory committee for the MIE effort in close coordination and with the approval of the NSF program official, so that major benefit from the overall Engineering (ENG) communities’ expertise and existing ENG program activities can be realized.

UNDER SECTION III.G., KEY PERSONNEL, ADD THE FOLLOWING:

The following individual(s) is considered KEY PERSONNEL and essential to the work of the UTEP MIE Project:

• Benjamin C. Flores

Any change in KEY PERSONNEL, or any significant change in their level of effort, requires the prior written approval of the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer. Except as modified by this Amendment, the Agreement conditions remain unchanged.

The cognizant NSF program official for this grant is Sue Kemnitzer (XXX) XXX-XXXX. The cognizant NSF grants official contact is Sharon P. Graham (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

Sincerely,

Carol A. Langguth
Grants and Agreements Officer
CFDA No. 47.041
EEC-9550502