ML20058N476

Informs Commissioners of Staff Plans to Establish NRC Graduate Fellowship Program for Health Physicists

ML20058N476
Person / Time
Issue date:	08/10/1990
From:	Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
References
TASK-PII, TASK-SE SECY-90-281, NUDOCS 9008140154
Download: ML20058N476 (16)

Text

g

/

POLICY ISSUE (Information)-

August 10, 1990 SECY-90-281 Ep.t:

The Commissioners From:

James M. Taylor Executive Director for. Operations Sub.iect:

NRC GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR HEALTH PHYSICISTS'AND ENGINEERS

Purpose:

To inform the Commissioners of staff plans to establish a formal graduate fellowship program. This effort will strengthen NRC's abili qualified individuals '.ty to attract and retain highlyin the health physics dis prevent the potential erosion of exaertise in health-I physics, nuclear engineering.and otler specialized engineering disciplines.

Discussion:

The NRC, as well as other Federal and private sector employers, is experiencing difficulty in recruiting health physicists to meet staffing-requirements. The number of college graduates receiving health physics / radiation protection degrees who are U. S. citizens has declined l

while employment demand for-this discipline has increased dramatically since 1979. - The number of undergraduate degrees has decreaseJ to a 15-year low,.while the number of Master's degrees his remained essentially level since 1974.

=

Undergraduate programs at such prestigious institutions as Georgia Institute of. Technology, University of Kansas and the University of Michigan have recently been terminated.

The future. availability of health physicists appears to be l

insufficient to meet workforce~needs..The NRC has-experienced an average yearly attrition rate' for health physicists of 8.6% over the last five years.

Since the Nl is experiencing difficulty recruiting fully qualified and

,g-

Contact:

NOTE:

TO BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE Peter J. Goldman, OP IN 10 WORKING DAYS FROM THE 492-4661 O s v c, a-nx 032s or 2313,3,33 N

Q i

g cf;qoISV g@%

~b 1 % y)' /)

a j

i l {

r

~

certifiable health physicists,.we have begun to hire scientists.in other disciplines as well as engineers and train them to perform in focused functional health physics

.t areas.

However, this action will not provide a= sufficient base of employees with the broader education, knowledge and i'

research background required to potentially achieve future

" expert" status in-the health physics discipline as applies-to the NRC.

While the NRC has not as yet encountered major difficulties t

in attracting and hiring general engineers to fill our immediate needs, we are experiencing some difficulty in attracting and hiring experienced engineers-with expertise in specialty disciplines such as seismology, materials, thermal hydraulics, etc.

We have had an average yearly.

attrition rate of 7.8% in the.0801/0840 engineering series over the past five years.. In the nuclear engineering discipline, the number of graduating nuclear engineers who are U. S. citizens continues to decline, and more and more institutions of higher education such as Catholic University of America, University of Washington and Iowa i

State University have closed or are planning toLclose their nuclear engineering programs.- The Georgia Institute.of Technology. and the University of Arizona are combining their programs with other engineering curricula. The difficulty in attracting sufficient numbers' of : experienced and academically trained engineers in certain. specialty disciplines affects our ability to provide the broad-4 expertise, research background and potential " expert" status that will be required in.the future.

The'NRC is currently. meeting its. technical staffing needs through intensified recruiting' efforts, technical intern

?

programs, greater training efforts and continued emphasis on qualification. requirements and the training activities necessary to meet them. To complement these actions, the staff intends-to:

Establish a formal graduate: fell'owship program for health physicists, nuclear engineers and engineers in certain specialty disciplines principally directed at'-

the Master's degree level. The fellowships would be a

divided appropriately between health physics / radiation protection and the engineering disciplines. Though proposed at the Master's degree level, the program has the potential for extension to the Doctoral level for a very limited number of meritoriously selected '

individuals to meet an urgent mission need.

Continued v

4 3 - --

service obligation agreements in accordance with'5 CFR 410 would be required.

Develop a senior fellowship program of academic education for a limited number of experienced NRC.

employees, competitively selected, to develop experts in the needed engineering disciplines. A period of' continued service would be= required.

The details of the elements of the graduate fellowship j

program are provided in Enclosure 1.

Enclosure:

2 provides a flow chart depiction of the sources of technical entry-l level inputs to the Agency. The staff plans partial i

implementation with some Cooperative Education Program-l

-(COOP) participants and qualified NRC employees in FY-1991, i

and full implementation in FY-1992.

Tentative.

implementation milestone schedules are provided in i.

The staff is currently developing specific guidelines for the senior fellowship program, and we would expect that it will closely follow appropriate aspects of the graduate fellowship program.

My June 1, 1990 Draft FY 1992-1995 Fi_ve Year Plan provides

-j resources,-beginning in FY 1992, for the graduate fellowship program.

In order to initiate the fellowshi)

I.

program in FY 1991, funds will be reprogrammed within tie Office of Personnel. -Specific-details of the staff's resource estimates are provided in' Attachment 4 to l

/

j xecutive Director for Operations

Enclosures:

1.

General Overview of NRC Graduate Fellowship Program 2.

Flow Chart of Entry-Level Sources 3.

Tentative Implementation Milestone Schedules DISTRIBUTION:

Commissioners OGC OIG GPA REGIONAL OFFICES EDO ACRS ACNW ASLBP ASLAP SECY

NRC GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:

A GENERAL OVERVIEW AUTHORITY The Nuclear Regulatory Commission can implement the proposed graduate-fellowship program under the authority granted.by Chapter-41 of title 5 United-States Code, Executive Order 11348 of April 20, 1967, 5 CFR, Part 410 and the Federal Personnel Manual, Chapter 410, which sets-forth principles,: standards and related requirements.

P_ROGRAM OBJECTIVES NRC is experiencing a period of high demand for highly qualified health physicists, nuclear engineers and engineers in certain specialty disciplines.

This demand is also being experienced-by utilities, other Federal agencies, the Department of Energy laboratories and the nuclear industry. 'To meet stronger competition for highly trained nuclear specialists and maintain a base of i

technical expertise, the NRC Graduate Fellowship seeks'to encourage highly' l

qualified bachelor-level graduates in science and engineering to pursue an

^

education and a career in nuclear power regulation.

The NRC Graduate Fellowship Program is dssigned to provide sufficient support for student programs which will-allow for a free and uninhibited period-of_'

advanced study and practical work experience in health physics, nuclear 4

1 engineering, and specialty engineering disciplines _ such as thermal' hydraulics, core physics, seismology, etc.

The program's primary purpose is to-provide an l

alternative means of obtaining qualified and capable individuals in needed technical disciplines and thereby help reduce the impa::t of attrition, and help ensure that the NRC will have an adequate supply of these high14 qualified health physicists and engineers in the future.

The program wil l also provide a further opportunity to address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in these technical fields in furtherance of the Agency's EE0 ~ and Affirmative Action goals..

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION I

l The Graduate Fellowship Program will assist the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in meeting its workforce needs by sponsoring graduate scientists and~ engineers -

l in either an applied health' physics / radiation protection or an applied nuclear j

engineering, specialized engineering discipline Master's program.. Participants l

muet agree to work for NRC for four years (2:1) following satisfactory-completion of the program.

Specialized training and field experiences during non academic periods, such as summer break, which are designed to further educate and train students in regulation of the nuclear industry will' be included in the NRC Graduate Fellowship Program.

This~ combination of graduate-level education and specialized training is expected to produce well-qualified

- personnel oriented to the Commission's objectives and activities. Oak Ridge 1

6

,-e-,

,,-,-n--

n

4 1

, Associated Universities with broad experience in support of federally administered fellowships, will assist NRC in program operation.

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION The Office of Personnel, with direct support from Oak Ridge _ Associated Universities, will act as Program Administrator.

ORAU is a private, not-for-1 profit association of 51 colleges and universities dedicated to education and research and a prime contractor for the Department of Energy (DOE). Most of ORAU's activities are national in scope, including programs in public education, biomedical research, manpower training and analysis, energy policy studies, and nuclear research. ORAU managed the Atomic Energy Commission Fellowship Program from 1950 to 1973 and is currently administering the Department of Energy's Fellowship programs.

NRC will obtain ORAU support through an interagency agreement with the D0E.

j An overview of the elements of the program and the resources impact are contained in the attachments to this enclosure.

Specific details of each element will depend upon negotiations between the Office of Personnel and ORAU and ORAU and participating universities.

i Attachments:

l.

Fellow Responsibilities and Obligations 2.

University Responsibilities and Obligations 3.

NRC Responsibilities and Obligations 4.

Preliminary Resource Estimate

-i l

FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIESL AND OBLIGATIONS FELLOWSHIP ELIGIBILITY. HEALTH PHYSICS To be eligible for a graduate health physics fellowship, a candidate must have-an undergraduate degree in either mathematics,. physical science, life science, or engineering from an accredited institution at the-time the fellowship begins. The candidate must also be qualified for admittance into the participating university's graduate health physics program..There must be a reasonable expectation that the: candidate has.the potentialLfor completing the Master's program within 24 months.

Candidates.must be eligible for NRC employment, access authorization and/or employment clearance.

The established NRC Cooperative Education' Program (C00P) will serve _as an important source of graduate fellows.

FELLOWSHIP ELIGIBILITY. ENGINEERING l

To be eligible for a graduate engineering fellowship, a candidate must have an undergraduate degree in either a physical science or engineering from an accredited institution at the time the fellowship:begins.- The candidate's undergraduate academic record must be such that he/she will be qualified for admission into a participating university's graduate engineering program.

There must be a reasonable expectation that the candidate has the potential for completing the Master's program within 24 months.

Candidates must be eligible for NRC employment, access authorization and/or employment clearance. The established NRC COOP program will serve as. an important source of graduate fellows.

j FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION-PROCEDURES l

Individuals interested in the NRC Graduate Fellowship Program will apply to the NRC (Office of Personnel) and ORAU in response to a solicitation or may contact the appropriate engineering, science or health' physics department of any participating university at any time.

(Prospective applicants may request a list of participating universities directly from ORAU's University Program Office.) Designated NRC COOPS will'be encouraged to apply for the Graduate Fellowship Program. All applications would be submitted prior to the candidate application doadline which will be published by ORAU each year.

Candidates may also be recommended by a participating university. Such nominations will be based primarily on the student's probability for success in the Master's program, faculty recommendations, and a statement of career goals-and objectives consistent with professional employment in the regulatory field.

Individuals who meet all established criteria for acceptance into a university's graduate program are eligible for nomination and NRC-approval. ' An applicant, with an undergraduate degree, in the process of being reviewed for a fellowship may wish to become formally admitted to a participating university's 3

a

, graduate program. However, ORAU/NRC cannot' accept responsibility for those applicants admitted to the graduate school who are not selected for a fellowship. Applications for fellowships do not constitute an application to the graduate school.

This must be done separately.-

Fell 0WS' OBLIGATIONS A graduate fellowship selectee must satisfactorily complete an NRC working l

assignment of at least nine months in a headquarters office or region. prior to commencing the actual fellowship.

The selectee will.then be placed on leave i

Without Pay (LWOP) and sent to full-time study at the selected university.

Thereafter, graduate fellows are expected to pursue a full-time course of study in accordance with the practices of the university _ in which the fellow is i

enrolled, and complete this program in 24 months.

During the period of l

education, fellows will participate in specialized training and field experiences with NRC.

They must satisfactorily complete reactor (simulator) training courses, health physics courses, etc., as appropriate, as well as work assignments in NRC headquarters program or regional offices during non-academic-periods.

Satisfactory progress in such activities is a requirement of the i

program, or NRC has authority to suspend the fellowship.

Each fellowship participant will be expected to comply with a continued service i

obligation agreement with NRC. This agreement will stipulate that for every

~

year a fellow's education is sponsored, the fellow is expected to serve for two l

years in NRC. This will mean that for the typical 24-month fellowship, a four--

year period of service is required.

Failure to fulfill this obligation will l

require the individual to pay back all tuition, fees and stipends paid by the Government in the percentage amount corresponding to the amount.of time served with the NRC after completion of the fellowship.

NRC'S PROVISIONS OF SUPPORT TO STUDENT fell 0WS i

The Graduate Fellowship Program will include student support (stipends) and l

tuition granted by NRC.

Full tuition and fees will be paid directly to the i

participating universities. A stipend of $1400 per. month will be paid to fellows during academic periods.

In those instances where travel is required, fellows will be reimbursed for round trip travel between the' home university and the specialized training or field experience. Administrative action will be taken to place fellows in a duty status for travel to/from and during i

periods of specialized training and field experiences.

r l

UNIVERSITY RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS.

UNIVERSITY PARTICIPATION:

PROGRAM AND COURSE OFFERINGS Universities desiring to participate in this program must be accredited United States institutions of higher education.

Participating universities must have a Master's program in either nuclear engineering, nuclear engineering option, applied engineering, or health physics.

These programs must be well defined and ongoing. All nuclear engineering option programs must be located in the-School of Engineering and have acceptable course offerings related to nuclear power operations.

Special interest will be given to those academic-programs stressing the applied aspects of basic engineering including nuclear engineering, or basic sciences including health physics.

The following list includes topical areas in nuclear power operations relevant to NRC employment. While a university is not I

required to offer courses in all of these areas, the list will be maintained and updated periodically to reflect important areas related to an applied

-nuclear. engineering education.

Nuclear Reactor Theory (Slowing down, diffusion., chain reaction, and age theories).

Reactor Safety (Biological hazards, reactor transient, and accident analysis).

Reactor Design (Construction, instrumentation, and shielding).

l Reactor Transport Systems (Fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer).

l Nuclear Fuel Management (Burn-up, processing, and fuel-cycle analysis).

Systems Operations (Start-up, maintenance, and controls).

Participating health physics programs should also stress an applied emphasis in their curricula. A listing of general health physics topical. areas in an l

applied curricula include:

As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA).

I Regulations (Transport, use, waste. disposal, and storage of radioactive materials).

l l

Health Physics Administration'(Standards development, j

operating procedures, and protection limits).

l l

Instrumentation (Radiation detection, spectroscopy, assay, I

I-L-

t i

, and survey instruments).

Dosimetry (Personnel, -internal and external).

Biological Effects of Radiation.

Environmental (On-line monitoring and sampling procedures).-

i Radiation Physics Theory (Radiation. production, interaction, detection,-and shielding).

Air Sampling.

Respiratory Protection.

Radiobiology.

UNIVERSITY PARTICIPATION PROCEDVRES I

The academic department should submit an application to ORAU.

The completed application should contain sufficient.information to indicate the viability of the Master's program and its relevance to preparing. fellows for work-in the regulatory field. A1.1 accredited institutions of higher education offering '

advanced degrees in nuclear engineering, nuclear engineering option,~and i

applied sciences, including health physics are eligible to apply.

The following criteria will be considered in reviewing the university application:

A listing of courses and course descriptions.

A list of principal faculty who will be instructing NRC fellows.

1 l

1 An annotation of existing applied training arrangements.

l A description of facilities and how they relate to NRC l

empioyment.

Willingness to provide a program coordinator with certain:

(

responsibilities.

l.

Factors external to the university application, such as NRC regional employment

~

l demand,.will also be used in the determination of participating universities.

The selection of participating universities will be made on a competitive basis by ORAU with the concurrence of the NRC, UNIVERSITY PROGRAM ADVERTISING An advertising campaign will be a part of the NRC Graduate Fellowship-Program.

For both engineering and health physics, it.is expected that participating:

l H

h I

.. academic departments will inform undergraduate students in mathematics, sciences, and engineering that the graduate fellowship is available..

J Accredited institutions with mathematics, science, and engineering undergraduate programs will receive information on the program's implementation-i and activities from ORAV.

Special emphasis in this advertising; campaign will-be given to undergraduate schools considered to be " feeder systems" to a participating university. To complement this effort, participating schools -

would be expected to include NRC Graduate. Fellowship Program information within-i their existing advertisements.

UNIVERSITY RESPONSIBILITIES IN SPECIALIZED TRAINING. FIELD EXPERIENCES. AND.

ORIENTATION j

Periodically (e.g., during semester and. summer breaks), fellows will be required to attend specialized training courses in Oak Ridge and Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as carry out work assignments at the NRC headquarters, regional offices or at other operational locations.

Efforts will-be made,to q

ensure that the scheduling of these activities will not conflict with traditional holidays, final exam periods, or any event which would cause disruption of the academic schedule.

Field experiences and orientation.

programs will be scheduled during pre-determined breaks in the academic calendar.

The training programs will adhere to the academic policies and standards of the participating universities to maximize the opportunity for the university to grant credit.

The university will not assign the NRC fellow work which does not directly-relate to the completion of the degree or to employment with the NRC.

The NRC will monitor the progress of the NRC fellows with the assistance of the university and ORAU.

1 i

l i

3

d' s

'NRC RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS NRC SELECTION OF FELLOWS NRC will review all applications and individually select each candidate that it i

~

believes is suitable for the program; Selections will be made by NRC Office Directors and Regional Administrators based upon recommendations from-an NRC panel. The Executive Director for Operati ns will approve all selections..

o The Office of Personnel and ORAU will support the selection process through a review of COOP performance at the NRC,' as appropriate, past academic performance, student applications, discussions with references, and interviews with the applicants. NRC reserves the right'.to reject any applicant.

4 Selectees will be required to satisfactorily complete at least nine months of working experience at NRC prior to commencing their university education..

FELLOWS' BENEFITS Fellowship selectees will generally be given career conditional appointments, f

They will be placed on leave Without Pay and receive stipends upon departing on t

the actual fellowship.

NRC will be responsible for. issuing stipends to the graduate fellows. While in a LWOP status, the fellow would have to contribute to his/her cost of enrollment in the health benefits program.

However, these benefits will cease when the cumulative time on LWOP reaches the 365-day limit, and the fellow would need to' convert to a private or university-sponsored group health plan for the remainder of the fellowship.

Life insurance will continue without cost for 12 months.

The fellow would not pay into the retirement system while on LWOP and receives up to 6 months credit toward length of 4

service in one calendar year.

The fellow cannot pay into the Thrift Savings Plan while on LWOP.

I INSTITUTIONAL ALLOWANCE The NRC will consider providing an institutional allowance, in lieu of tuition and fees, to each participating university. The allowance will be based in part on the number of NRC students attending the university. The allowance i

must be used to pay for all tuition and fee costs.

No money from the fellow's stipend will be used for this purpose. All. remaining monies will go to the sponsoring academic department for the purchase of equipment and supplies which will directly benefit the NRC fellow.

1 PROGRAM ADVERTISING Under the direction of NRC, ORAU will assist the universities in the l

appropriate advertising of the NRC Graduate Fellowship Program. This will include the mailing of program announcements, providing fellowship application forms to the potential " feeder" undergraduate programs, providing information on the participating universities and describing the career opportunities offered by NRC in nuclear and special discipline engineering fields and health physics occupations.

, NRC ORIENTATION An important part of the Graduate Fellowship Program will be an orientation which will allow the fellow to become familiar with NRC's mission. This i

oriarttation will contribute to the development of the fellow's interest in specific areas of NRC operations and the regulation of nuclear power.

I NRC FIELD EXPERIENCES-Periodic work experiences with NRC, which will stress'the practical aspects of NRC operations, will occur during the traditional breaks in the academic year.

l They will include additional specialized training in the operation of' pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR), or other science and health physics applications, as appropriate.

The NRC Technical Training Center, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will

)rovide classroom and simulator instruction in PWR and BWR systems and in healt1 physics applications.

PLACEMENT OF NRC Fell 0WS Upon successful completion of the Graduate Fellowship Program, fellows will be i

assigned to an NRC position determined by the Executive Director for Operations based upon input from appropriate Office Directors / Regional Administrators.

p i

- l i

1

-I

n 4

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NUCLEAR ENGINEER / HEALTH PHYSICIST

'l GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM i

l l

PREllMINARY RESOURCE ESTIMATE (Based Upon.a Spread of 8-16 Fellowships)'

(in thousands)

FY-91*

f_Y-E

[y-n I

OPERATING COSTS:

ORAU 24.0 40.0L-52.0 42.0.-' 54.0 ADVERTISING 2.0 2.0 2.0 MISC (Postage, flyers, l

Con + ;ter support) 5.0 5.0 6.0 s

PARTICIPANT COSTS:

-[

STIPENDS 11.0 - 22.0 112.0 - 224.0 112.0 --224.0_

TUITION & FEES 26.0 - 53.0 56.0 - 112.0 59.0 - 119.0 t

TRAVEL 5.0 -

10.0 5.0 -

10.0-a SUPPORT SERVICES (0RAU) 5.0 - 6.0 12.0 - 20.0 '

13.0 - 22.0-INDIRECT COSTS (0RAU) 11.0 - 15.0 29.0 - 48.0 31.0 - 50.0-TOTALS (S):

84.0 -~127.0 261.0 - 473.0 270,0 - 487'0-i FY-91-BASED UPON REQUIREMENTS TO COVER FALL 1991 TUITION.AND SEPTEMBER 1991 I

STIPENDS.

i NOTES:

1.

AVERAGE TUITION = $7000 SINCE MOST HP EDUCATION CONDUCTED AT STATE UNIVERSITIES WITH LOWER TUITION 2.

STIPENDS: PER YEAR - $14,000 (FY-91, etc.)

($1400/ MONTH FOR APPROX. 10 MONTHS) i 19111 SINCE THE FIVE YEAR PLAN DOES NOT REFLECT FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM IN FY-1991, IT WILL HAVE TO BE REPROGRAMMED FROM AGENCY RESOURCES.~

~

Sources of Personnel into NRC Qualification Programs j

I

' NRC llires Entry 1cyc!

I i~

College MS/PhD flires with -

Jumors -

Hired as Entry Level Some HP or IIP and Engineering l

NRC Nuclear Plant COOPS Engineers Experience l

2 yrs 1

COOPS Graduate and Join Existing NRC NRC Staff Qualification Programs h

NRC Hires I

3 Grow Your Own HS Degree 1 f Entry level Technical HPs and i

Enter NRC Fellows I

NRC Select g

Nuclear liikiwship.

Receive

. Training Fa@s Graduate Advanced Fellowship '

Program as NRC Degree and p,

Candidates HP/NE Employees Rejom NRC on LWOP Staff j g j g NRC Hires High Entry level Scientists l

'and Engies Id'*I of

' Average Discharge - Pbor Performance at NRC NRC Empkyyees Selected fivr m

l Retraining g

y,c y,,,,

a Eniry 12ven y

l Scientists a

and Engineers ru

~

as Pbtential Fellows i

tw/4 W Al@tF

,r_

[-Y

.i 1

l NRC GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM l-TENTATIVE MILESTONE SCHEDULE

• START COMPL.-

RESPON-l ACTION DAIE DAlf SIBILITY ED0 Commission Paper to Commission

~ 8/15/90 ED0 ED0 Direct Implementation

" 9/01/90~

ED0 Inter-Agency Agreement w/0RAU 9/15/90 OP Select Participating Universities 10/01/90 2/15/91 OP/0RAU Prepare Advertising Mat'l & Plans 8/15/90

-9/15/90 OP' Commence Advertising Campaign 9/15/90 OP/0RAU' Commence Campus Recruiting-9/15/90 Ongoing OP et al-1 Announcement to NRC Employees

& COOPS 9/15/90 OP Establish NRC Screening Panels 11/15/90 ED0/0P Office Directors.& Regional Administrators Make Selections 1/15/91 OD/PA/0P ED0 Approve Selections 2/15/91 ED0/0P Selectees Apply to Graduate Schools in Disciplines Designated by ERB 3/01/91 6/15/91 OP/0RAU Process Selectees, Hire & Assign to Office / Region

-2/15/90 4/15/90 OP t

l Acceptances Received to Graduate School-Applications 4/15/91 8/30/91 FY-91 Selectees Commence Fellowships 9/91

• Note:

These milestones provide for the actual fellowships to commence in the fall of 1991 (for a FY-1992 program). They could only be met if candidates for the fellowships were NRC COOPS or other qualified-candidates who have previous work experience with the NRC.

.e

~

. NRC. GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP. PROGRAM TENTATIVE MILESTONE SCHEDULE

• START COMPL.

RESPON-i ACTION E

E SIBILITY ED0 Commission Paper to Commission 8/15/90 EDO EDO Direct Implementation

" 9/01/90 EDO Inter-Agency Agreement w/0RAU 9/15/90-OP Select Participating Universities 10/01/90 2/15/91-.

OP/0RAV-Prepare Advertising Mat'l & Plans 8/15/90 11/30/90 OP l

Commence Advertising Campaign 12/01/90 0P/0RAU Commence Campus Recruiting 9/15/90 Ongoing OP et al' Announcement to NRC Employees l

& COOPS 12/01/90 OP-

' ED0/0P' Establish NRC Screening Panels 3/15/91 1

Office Directors & Regional i-Administrators Make Selections 6/15/91 OD/RA/0P ED0 Approve Selections.

6/30/911

.E00/0P l

Process Selectees, Hire & Assign

.OP-1 to Office / Region 7/01/91 8/31/91 l

Selectees Apply to Graduate Schools in Disciplines Designated by ERB 11/15/91 2/01/92 OP/0RAU i

Acceptances Received to Graduate School Applications 4/30/92-FY-91 Selectees Commence Fellowships 9/92 f:

• Note:

These milestones provide for the actual fellowships to commence in i

the fall of 1992 (for an FY-1993 program)'. They are structured to-accommodate the NRC recruiting new fellowship candidates in FY-1991 l

C and then have them work at the NRC for a minimun of nine months l

before commencing the fellowships. This presumes that there are no past or current employees of NRC or COOPS that could -start earlier.

i

.