Job losses that are starting to ripple across Pennsylvania's public university campuses have reached the state's flagship school.

Penn State University on Monday announced it is laying off 10 employees in its college of agricultural sciences. In addition, upwards of 30 positions within the college are being eliminated through attrition, all the result of "state appropriations that have not kept pace with rising costs," university officials said.

Penn State says the cuts for the fiscal year starting July 1, and deeper ones that may await in 2011-12, will be felt across the college's research and cooperative-extension missions, which are involved in initiatives that include promoting food and water safety. Those programs are not supported by tuition.

Monday's announcement follows word of dozens of actual or possible job cuts outlined in recent days by four of Pennsylvania's state-owned universities: Slippery Rock, Kutztown, Millersville and Mansfield.

They and the rest of Pennsylvania's public universities face a double economic whammy -- waning support from the recession-battered state this year and the anticipated loss starting in July 2011 of millions of dollars in federal stimulus aid that allowed those schools to offset cuts in their state appropriations.

On top of that, the schools face a major increase in their required contributions to the State Employees Retirement System.

"The College of Agricultural Sciences, like many other institutions in the state, has faced a perfect storm of budgetary challenges in recent years," said Bruce McPheron, dean of the college. "The severe economic downturn, rising health care and other costs, and skyrocketing state pension obligations have combined with eroding state appropriations to make these actions necessary."

Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget for 2010-11 includes no funding increase for the agriculture college, campus officials said. Unless more aid is forthcoming, they added, the college could face a budget shortfall of $11 million by July 1, 2011, requiring a 20 percent cut in agriculture research and extension programs, or the equivalent of 160 positions.

The layoffs are one component of an across-the-board 5 percent cut in college spending effective July 1. The agriculture college may resort to targeted 10 percent program and department cuts in 2011-12, spokesman Charles Gill said.

Penn State spokesman Geoff Rushton declined to speculate Monday about other potential cuts facing Penn State's main campus and others across the commonwealth, but he added, "I can tell you that every operation is being scrutinized."

"There are certainly difficult decisions ahead for us," he added. "These decisions will undoubtedly impact tuition rates and require cost reduction actions."

At the University of Pittsburgh, spokesman John Fedele said it was too early to comment about Pitt's upcoming budget because it has not been set.

State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre County, said the agriculture college at Penn State has become the latest, but not likely the last, to face unintended consequences of the state's financial predicament.

"It's unfortunate, but I have a feeling there will be many parts of state government, and those who rely on state government for funding, who will be facing a similar situation as budget revenues continue to recede," he said.

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