WASHINGTON (WCMH) — Ohio State University president Michael Drake was part of a panel discussion on the challenges facing higher education in Washington on Wednesday.

Drake was joined on stage by Harvard University president Drew Faust and Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne.

All three university presidents warned against cutting federal research funding.

Drake says slashing university budgets would be “short-sighted and ill advised.”

“We certainly have concerns about some of the budget cuts that have been suggested,” he said. “Budget cuts to the NIH would be devastating and we will work actively to make sure people are clear on why those cuts are not something we support. There are other cuts that we’ve seen that would undermine the progress we’ve made as a nation. We’ll talk actively about that.”

Drake urged state and federal lawmakers to protect grant funding, to make college affordable for more students.

The panel also discussed immigration.

Drake stressed the importance of encouraging international students to study in the United States.