12 2 STA T .3476PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 31 5— AU G .14 , 200 8‘ ‘ (5)INFORMATI ON D I S S E MINATION .—TheS e cr e ta r ys ha l l c onv ene an ann u al m eet i n g o f eligi b le institutions receiving grants , coo p erative agreements, or contracts un d er this sub - section to foster collaboration and capacity-building activities among eligible institutions. ‘‘( 6 ) M AT CH IN G RE QU IREMENT.—The Secretary may not a w ard a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract to an eligible institution under this subsection unless such institution agrees that, with respect to the costs incurred by the institution in carrying out the program for which the grant, cooperative agree- ment, or contract was awarded, such institution shall ma k e available, directly, or through donations from public or private entities, non- F ederal contributions in an amount e q ual to 2 5 percent of the grant, cooperative agreement, or contract awarded by the Secretary, or $ 5 0 0,000, whichever is the lesser amount. The Secretary shall waive the matching requirement for any institution or consortium with no endowment, or an endowment that has a current dollar value lower than $50,000,000. ‘‘( 7 ) A NNUA L RE P ORT AND ASSESSMENTS.— ‘‘(A) ANNUAL REPORT REQUIRED FROM RECIPIENTS.— E ach eligible institution that receives a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract awarded under this subsection shall provide an annual report to the Secretary on its use of the grant, cooperative agreement, or contract. ‘‘( B ) INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENTS.— ‘‘(i) C ONTRACT TO CONDUCT ASSESSMENTS.— N ot later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall enter into a con- tract with the National Academy of P ublic Administra- tion to conduct periodic assessments of the program established under paragraph ( 1 ). The assessments shall be conducted once every 3 years during the 10-year period following the date of enactment of this sub- section. ‘‘(ii) E V ALUATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—The assessments described in clause (i) shall include— ‘‘(I) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program established under paragraph (1) in improving the education and training of students, faculty, and staff at eligible institutions that have been awarded grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts under the program
‘‘(II) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program in improving access to, and familiarity with, digital and wireless networking technology for students, faculty, and staff at all eligible institutions; ‘‘(III) an evaluation of the procedures estab- lished under paragraph (2)(A); and ‘‘(I V ) recommendations for improving the pro- gram, including recommendations concerning the continuing need for Federal support. ‘‘(iii) R EVIE W OF REPORTS.—In carrying out the assessments under this subparagraph, the National Academy of Public Administration shall review the Deadlin e s.W ai v e r a utho rit y .
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