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Due to financial difficulties mainly caused by COVID-19, Penn State has ordered systemwide budget cuts that leaders within the campuses must apply, according to the university's executive vice president.
"(A)ll units across the university have been subject to budget rescissions and are tasked with finding areas within their units where reductions in expenditures can be made," wrote Provost Nick Jones in a statement provided by a university spokesman. "(T)eams across the university are taking a careful and thoughtful approach to determine how to most effectively reduce their expenditures while continuing to provide a high-quality education."
Penn State Altoona held a non-public meeting Monday where faculty and staff learned the local campus needs to cut $4.7 million, resulting in hundreds of permanent layoffs that will almost exclusively affect non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) departments -- and that students are not to be involved in discussions, so they're less likely to protest and walk out, according to information provided anonymously to the Mirror.
The media relations department of the university neither contested nor confirmed those specifics.
The total 2019-20 "permanent operating budget" for the campus as listed in a Penn State web page was $41.3 million, so $4.7 million would be a 10% cut.
Penn State Altoona will be taking "a comprehensive approach" to cover the next several years, involving "a thorough review of academic programs, courses, facilities and staffing," according to Jones.
"Evaluating all available options," he wrote. "Part of this review is the normal, annual process of looking at courses and programs that may no longer be relevant or have low enrollment due to changing interests in various professions and fields of study."
Every campus is different, and local leaders will decide how best to make the necessary cuts, Jones wrote.
"Ultimately, the university is focused on meeting the educational needs of its students and providing them with opportunities to best position them for success," Jones stated.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.