On Monday, President Obama presented his Fiscal Year 2013 budget request to Congress. I applaud the President’s recognition that America’s institutions of higher education and research are essential to innovation, job creation and economic recovery and growth. Ensuring that our system of higher education remains the best in the world will require sustained investments from all sectors. University-based research leads to new technologies and innovation that fuel job creation and to solutions to societal problems such as cures for disease. Our colleges and universities prepare future leaders and provide young people with the knowledge and skills needed to lead successful lives.

The President’s emphasis on sustaining investments in the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and increasing funding for the Department of Education’s student aid programs and for the National Endowment for the Humanities is critically important to the strength of our nation. Two areas of concern, however, are the implications of the President’s proposal to provide level funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the potentially overreaching requirements for student aid. The NIH funds research that advances our knowledge and understanding of the origins of debilitating diseases and leads to possible solutions and life-saving medical breakthroughs. The President’s attention to reining in the cost of education is commendable, and it is essential that we address this national challenge in a way that does not undermine the capacity of colleges and universities to balance their many competing demands with flexibility to achieve the goal of providing access to affordable, quality education.

Solidifying our place as world leaders in education, research, technology development and the jobs of the future demands continued support for these federal agencies. Research universities are full partners in this work. At Brown University, despite the challenging economic climate, we have continued to invest in our students, faculty, infrastructure and research space to create an environment that fosters innovation and discovery. Through our support for need-blind admission and financial aid, we ensure that access to a Brown education is available to all students with the requisite talent and drive to succeed, regardless of family income. Brown has more than doubled the scholarship budget in the last eight years, eliminated parental contributions from families making less than $60,000, and eliminated packaging loans for students from families making less than $100,000. Today, 62 percent of Brown students do not have loans in their initial financial aid offers, and student borrowing has been reduced by 30 percent since 2008.

The country must continue to be a committed partner in our historic collaboration to ensure access to higher education for all students, regardless of economic circumstance, and it cannot back away from supporting critical scientific research that will allow us to emerge from the economic recession prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century.