NORFOLK, Va. - At least 1,000 to 2,500 state workers will lose their jobs because of the state budget crisis, without counting possible layoffs at state colleges and universities, Gov. Mark R. Warner said Wednesday.

Warner met with about 250 state employees in a forum at Old Dominion University to discuss the cuts he will announce Tuesday to help balance Virginia’s budget.

Warner said the number of layoffs of staff and faculty at colleges, universities and community colleges are uncertain because colleges, unlike state agencies, can raise tuition and other fees to compensate for lost state funding.

“There are more relief valves available to you than other agencies,” he said.

The governor plans to announce the first round of cuts in a statewide television broadcast at 7 p.m. Tuesday. No state agency will be cut by less than 5 percent, and some programs and services spared in the past - including Medicaid, services to the institutionalized mentally ill and public schools - may eventually be cut.

“All of those have been off the table, but they will have to be re-reviewed come December,” Warner said. The governor will recommend more cuts when he submits his proposed budget revisions to the General Assembly on Dec. 20.

Warner warned universities to brace for the cuts and urged higher education leaders to collaborate more to avoid redundant areas of study and research.

“Not every university is going to be able to have advanced programs in physics and advanced programs in German,” Warner said. In response to one person’s question about saving money through Internet purchasing, Warner said the state already has such a system _ Electronic Virginia, or eVA _ and colleges and universities have the poorest track record of using the system.

When Warner asked how many were willing to forgo raises to minimize layoffs, Heather Olivo, a 29-year-old social services worker from Norfolk, suggested the governor cut more deeply and reward employees who perform well.