An article appeared recently as a result of a question to me on the rising cost of college tuition. Although interesting, it didn't fully reflect my view on the research universities in South Carolina. I'd like to make that view clear.

The research component of our university system is vital to South Carolina's efforts to raise income levels in our state. It is for this reason that I've supported and even worked hard to improve the International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville, to fund hydrogen research in the Midlands and cancer research at the Medical University of South Carolina on the coast. The list goes on in our executive budget, from nanotechnology at the University of South Carolina to films and fibers at Clemson - and outside of our budget to support concepts like the S.C. Health Science Collaborative. Research is an important priority in our administration, and I applaud the work done at campuses across our state.

The supposed controversy introduced by this article was tied to the question of what we do about increasing the cost of tuition. My answer was built on a simple belief that as important as the economic mission is with our research universities, I ultimately believe the primary goal of any educational institution lies in educating young people. The surest way to economic prosperity in our state rests with educated minds. If you had to make the choice between low-level research for economic development and putting money into education, my priority would be education.

This shouldn't be news to anyone. In my executive budget, I proposed doing just that when I suggested eliminating $145,200 in funding for turf grass research at Clemson. In this instance, the 300-plus golf course owners across our state have the capacity to pay for this kind of research at Clemson, which would free up this money for other research, more education spending or lower tuition costs. Examining those kinds of trade-offs doesn't mean I don't believe research is crucial to economic development in our state, as I am committed to all the major research projects in motion or currently contemplated in South Carolina.

It does mean we ought to explore every available option that will maximize our ability to get more money into our educational and research priorities. This is particularly important when the national average for higher education spending as a percentage of a state's budget is 10.5 percent and we are spending 17 percent in South Carolina. In the same vein, Florida and Tennessee are spending roughly the same as South Carolina on higher education on a per capita basis, yet their tuition costs on average are lower. So before we ask the taxpayer for more money - or the student for more in tuition costs - let's be willing to brainstorm and kick around ideas that will help us to better set priorities that will make our great schools in South Carolina even better.

Sanford is governor of South Carolina.