Higher education is worthy of public financial support, University President Richard Levin wrote in a Sunday op-ed published in the New Haven Register.

Levin wrote that governments seeking to cut educational expenditures risk loosing the economic benefits that education provides. He divided such benefits into three categories: university-led scientific research, an educated and flexible workforce, and the social mobility that education creates. Writing in the editorial’s conclusion, Levin wrote:

But at a time of economic duress, economic arguments may be most salient. State and federal legislators, governors, the president and the public overall should heed the evidence. The case for federal support for research, Pell Grants and student loans is overwhelming, as is the case for state support of our extraordinary public colleges and universities. Through the research we do, the flexible work force we educate, and the social mobility we provide, our colleges and universities make essential contributions to America’s prosperity.