COEUR d'ALENE - In a symbolic gesture, two academic presidents seated themselves in front of each others' school banners to show the camaraderie between their institutions.

"You can be a Warrior and be a Cardinal, too," said Dr. J. Anthony "Tony" Fernandez, president of Lewis-Clark State College.

Fernandez and North Idaho College President Joe Dunlap signed the LCSC/NIC Associate of Applied Science to Bachelor of Applied Science Degree Articulation and the LCSC/NIC Associate of Arts/Science to Baccalaureate Degree Articulation agreements during a ceremony Wednesday morning in NIC's Todd Lecture Hall.

A jovial feeling permeated the room as faculty, staff and officials from the two institutions witnessed the signings, which solidified an already strong partnership.

"In a way, this is a formalization of what we've been doing for many, many years, but I also think it's a recommitment," said Lori Stinson, LCSC's provost and vice president for academic affairs. "While we've had a good, strong relationship and we have found all kinds of ways to work together, over the past couple of years, we have been much more intentional in making articulation agreements for specific programs and looking at how we don't duplicate services, how we build one on the other.

"Today's signing represents history, but it also represents a fresh starting point, kind of a reaffirmation and a recommitment to this really important opportunity for students," Stinson said.

Dunlap explained that NIC and LCSC have been working closely for more than 30 years to serve their students.

"It's been very, very important to both institutions," he said. "One is to be able to provide those going-on opportunities for our students and then for students to be able to receive a bachelor's degree here in Coeur d'Alene without ever having to leave Coeur d'Alene."

According to the articulation agreements, NIC students may be granted admission to LCSC with third-year (junior) standing depending upon the degree being transferred and contingent upon having met necessary conditions. LCSC and NIC will work together to advise students as they attend NIC and help them through the pre-transfer process and LCSC will keep NIC informed of any program or degree changes.

Through this agreement, NIC students who maintain eligibility for the NIC Presidential Scholarship through completion of their programs will automatically qualify for the LCSC Transfer Scholarship, regardless of when they submit an admission application to LCSC and as long as their full-time enrollment at LCSC begins within a year of completing their NIC degree.

"It is so important for our students," said Lita Burns, NIC's vice president for instruction. "So many of our students are place-bound. They want to be in North Idaho, they don't want to be going all over the place. For NIC to be able to provide them that first two years and then have a very accessible and easy transfer to a four-year institution and the cooperation that goes on makes achieving that baccalaureate in Coeur d'Alene or in other places in North Idaho more realistic."

The agreements are effective as of June 17 and will be reviewed for renewal every three years.

This year, nearly 150 students earned bachelor's degrees from Lewis-Clark State College - Coeur d'Alene.

Fernandez said he couldn't think of a better demonstration of the success of working together than the hundreds of people who attended the ceremony in NIC's auditorium to congratulate and support LCSC-Coeur d'Alene's class of 2015, "most of which, probably just about every one of which, went to North Idaho College and received their bachelor's degree," he said. "It is a vital component, I think, to the state of Idaho's higher education emphasis, and we certainly couldn't do it without the cooperation, the help, and I think the friendship between North Idaho College and Lewis-Clark State College."