Anthony Monaco, president of Tufts University, spoke on Somerville Community Access Television's recently about his increasingly competitive university and its place in the Somerville and Medford communities.

Among other things, Monaco spoke about the cost of higher education and Tufts's growing reputation as a research institution.

Speaking about the proposed Green Line extension, Monaco said, "We're very supportive of the extension of the Green Line."

He said the Green Line, in providing better transportation access to the university and its students, could lead to economic development in the form of spurring small start-ups associated with the school's scientific research.

"We have the engineering school; we have the technology," he said about incubating new science-based businesses. "Those things can be spun out into local economic development, but we need some public transit, I think, to bring people in to make it a hub for that."

Watch Monaco's full interview here.