Local business leaders in the wake of a discussion with representatives from the Kansas Board of Regents said they supported the goals of higher education.

Regents leaders went on a statewide tour talking about how higher education supports business efforts and how state revenues continue to shrink. They met with Lawrence leaders Monday.

They said they were starting a dialogue and called on members of the business community to get involved in supporting higher education if they felt its difficulties affected them.

Many businesses, however, continue to have their own struggles in the current economy.

“Obviously, we’re supportive of higher education. There’s no doubt about that,” said Gene Meyer, CEO of Lawrence Memorial Hospital, who attended Monday’s meeting.

He said that higher education will be critical in meeting nursing and physician shortages in the years ahead, and that he appreciated the information from the regents.

“I was just a little bit confused as to what the takeaway was,” he said.

As businesses continue to deal with their own needs, Meyer said, there probably won’t be as much left over for direct contributions to higher education, either.

Tom Kern, president and CEO of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said there are many areas of the state budget, nearly all of which could give similar presentations outlining their benefits to society.

“The challenge for the Legislature is to prioritize all these needs,” Kern said.

He said he would work with the regents to spread their particular message and volunteered — as did Meyer — to be part of an ongoing discussion between regents and the business community.

He suggested the board look at other states for potential solutions.

They could potentially show policymakers how a particular plan could work to support higher education — something that clearly helps the business environment of the state and city, he said.

“The Board of Regents needs some more concrete ammunition with which to help legislators understand and defend and continue to support higher education funding at the level it’s at or higher,” Kern said.

Lawrence City Manager David Corliss said higher education helps business in many ways, including things such as a recent incubator project for the bioscience industry — a collaboration among the city, the county and KU.

He said that he appreciated the regents coming to Lawrence to engage the community.

“Let’s build on those types of successes,” Corliss said.