FORT KENT – The University of Maine at Fort Kent and the Maine Winter Sports Center signed an agreement Tuesday to share facilities and expand opportunities for university students and sports center athletes.

Besides calling for the two groups to share facilities and personnel, the agreement establishes a program for scholarships and reduced tuition for Nordic and biathletes who use the sports center for training.

“The Maine Winter Sports Center is a world-class facility that is located within 2 miles of our campus,” Interim UMFK President Donald Zillman said Tuesday. “A strong partnership between the two institutions is an obvious match that will be of great benefit to both institutions.”

The letter of understanding calls for UMFK to accept up to 10 students, nominated by the sports center, at reduced tuition. Five of the special scholarships will be available to out-of-state students at the in-state tuition rate; the other five will be available to in-state students at half the in-state rate.

“This will greatly assist students who are MWSC athletes and who want to stay in Maine and continue their education,” Andy Sheppard, CEO of the sports center, said Tuesday. “The understanding will make the resources of both facilities available to college-age students across Maine, the United States and beyond.”

The two men signed the agreement at UMFK on Tuesday morning.

UMFK will make its training facilities available to sports center athletes free of charge. They also will provide, when feasible, affordable housing and food service for summer camps, competitions and other events held by the sports center.

In turn, the sports center will allow UMFK students and employees open access to its facilities, and UMFK will be allowed to use its 10th Mountain Division lodge occasionally. The sports center also will provide expertise and personnel to the university campus in the operation of ski clinics and other related classes and activities.

The two agencies will promote each other through an Internet hyperlink to each other’s Web sites.

Sheppard said the sports center will be host March 3-10 to the International Biathlon Festival, expected to draw biathletes from throughout North America and junior biathletes from around the world. He hopes Aroostook County will be the site for the World Cup of Nordic and biathlon competitions in 2004. The sports center will be host to the national cross-country races this winter.

The sports center is an economic development model created to re-establish Nordic skiing in Northern Maine, and has already held national and international competitions.

Over the past two years, UMFK has assisted the sports center with food service for athletes attending the Junior National and North American competitions held at Fort Kent. They also provided public relations and marketing services for the events.