Fresno State President John D. Welty joined presidents and chancellors of 152 universities from throughout the nation in urging President Obama and Congressional leaders to maintain education and scholarly research as budget priorities in deficit-reduction efforts.

The university leaders are members of the Association of American Universities, a nonprofit association of leading private and public research universities, and/or the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

The letter to the White House, Democratic and Republican leadership in the House and Senate and key committee chairs and ranking members, the education leaders urge alternatives to federal spending cuts that take effect automatically in January unless there is Congressional compromise.

The letter says failure to find an alternative “would substantially harm our nation’s future by blindly slashing valuable investments in education and scientific research, as well as other important discretionary programs that provide health, economic and national security.”

Welty was in Washington, D.C., for the recent 150th anniversary of the creation of land-grant colleges by the Morrill Act, which became law during 1862, during the Lincoln Administration. Welty and other university leaders gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to mark the occasion.

Read the letter in pdf.

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