Indiana University of Pennsylvania has become the fifth State System of Higher Education school to notify its faculty union that layoffs are a possibility in 2011-12.

The union -- the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties -- on Thursday issued a news release excerpting an IUP statement saying the university's targets for reducing an expected deficit "might require the retrenchment of faculty and/or the furloughs of management and staff."

In university jargon, retrenchment is a word used to describe layoffs of faculty.

IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling confirmed the authenticity of the statement but did not provide further comment.

Susan Drummond, president of the IUP local, was given the statement in a meeting with Helen Kennedy, the university's vice president of human resources.

The IUP document stated, "The university will take every reasonable measure to avoid retrenchment and furloughs, but they may be unavoidable due to financial considerations, program curtailment, elimination of courses, and other reasons."

Ms. Drummond noted that enrollment has been increasing and faculty are vital to attract tuition dollars. She likened retrenchment of faculty to "killing the goose that lays the golden egg."

Steve Hicks, state faculty union president, said faculty numbers throughout the system generally are not keeping up with the growth in the numbers of students.

The other State System universities where the possibility of faculty furloughs in 2011-12 has been raised are Kutztown, Mansfield, Millersville and Shippensburg. Slippery Rock has talked about staff and administrative layoffs. There are 14 universities in the State System.

Contracts for all seven unions in the State System are due to expire at the end of the 2010-11 school year.

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