Budget cuts of the magnitude suggested by the governor could force layoffs at the College of Southern Nevada, Interim President Michael Richards told the Board of Regents today.

Helen Clougherty, CSN’s spokeswoman, wouldn’t speculate what types of positions would be considered for layoffs.

Many state employees and other government employees who depend on state funding have been worried about the possibility of layoffs. Other department heads have told the Sun that layoffs are possibl as a last resort to meet the governor’s demands for 8 percent budget cuts. Pink slips haven’t been handed out to state employees since 1991, when Gov. Bob Miller ordered them.

The talk of layoffs comes at a stressful time for CSN, whose preliminary enrollment estimates show that the number of full-time equivalent students this fall was 19,501. That figure, if accurate, would represent a 6.2 percent increase over fall 2006. Richards added that other options for cutting include closing learning sites, reducing scholarships and library and advising services and creating a de facto enrollment cap - “things that will directly impact access to education.”

“These inequities are impacting probably the largest minority population being served in … the state,” Richards said.