Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 2.djvu/754

 112 STAT. 1638 PUBLIC LAW 105-244 —OCT. 7, 1998 "(3) in order to be competitive and provide a high-quality education for all, institutions of higher education should improve their technological capacity and make effective use of technology;", SEC. 303. STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS. (a) GRANTS.—Section 311 (20 U.S.C. 1057) is amended by adding at the end the following: "(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. —Grants awarded under this section shall be used for 1 or more of the following activities: "(1) Purchase, rental, or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including instructional and research purposes. "(2) Construction, maintenance, renovation, and improvement in classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and other instructional facilities, including the integration of computer technology into institutional facilities to create smart buildings. "(3) Support of faculty exchanges, faculty development, and faculty fellowships to assist in attaining advanced degrees in the field of instruction of the faculty. "(4) Development and improvement of academic programs. "(5) Purchase of library books, periodicals, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program material. "(6) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success. "(7) Funds management, administrative management, and acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening funds management. "(8) Joint use of facilities, such as laboratories and libraries. "(9) Establishing or improving a development office to strengthen or improve contributions from alumni and the private sector. "(10) Establishing or improving an endowment fund. "(11) Creating or improving facilities for Internet or other distance learning academic instruction capabilities, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services. "(12) Other activities proposed in the application submitted pursuant to subsection (c) that— "(A) contribute to carrying out the purposes of the program assisted under this part; and "(B) are approved by the Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of such application. "(d) ENDOWMENT FUND. — "(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible institution may use not more than 20 percent of the grant funds provided under this part to establish or increase an endowment fund at such institution. "(2) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—In order to be eligible to use grant funds in accordance with paragraph (1), the eligible institution shall provide matching funds from non-Federal sources, in an amount equal to or greater than the Federal funds used in accordance with paragraph (1), for the establishment or increase of the endowment fund. Applicability. "(3) COMPARABILITY.— The provisions of part C, regarding the establishment or increase of an endowment fund, that

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