University of Southern Mississippi staff cuts are coming down the pike, but interim Chief Financial Officer Russ Willis said Tuesday that officials hope to get help in the form of unaided departures.

"We are hoping through attrition that a lot of this can be handled on the staff side," Willis explained to a packed Staff Council meeting Tuesday at the Thad Cochran Center.

That's one reason why staff members have not received notification whether they will be terminated or not. The other, of course, is that there is no state law mandating a nine-month notice for staff cuts, as there is for tenure and tenure-track faculty.

Willis informed the council of the strong probability that there will be layoffs. Those staff members to be cut will receive notice within the next two months, he said.

Willis said that the executive cabinet has notified department heads in academic support and administrative support of the dollar amount of cuts in their areas. The executive cabinet has proposed $3.5 million in academic support and administrative support cuts overall, as part of the university's $15 million in cuts for FY 2012.

Plans for FY 2012 already call for 23 program cuts and 29 faculty cuts.

Willis also outlined the proposed retirement incentive plan for employees, which will be a payment one-half of the employee's annual salary for folks eligible to retire. That payment will not interfere with employees' regular retirement plans.

University officials are hoping to generate $3 million through the plan. Willis added that one shortfall of the incentive plan is that the retirements will inevitably be disproportionate to departments.

"One department with 10 people could have eight people who take the retirement incentive," said Willis. "Clearly, there are going to be some positions that are going to have to be refilled."

Willis said that the retirement plan requires state College Board approval and will be on the October agenda.

In a question session afterward, Staff Council President Dianne Coleman asked about the probability of the retirement plan getting board approval and what happens if it is not approved.

"My gut feeling is that they are (going to approve it)," Willis responded. "My reason for that is that they did it for Mississippi State (University) this past fiscal year, so I think they are more inclined to allow it."

But Willis added, "I cannot say for sure, and we will have to go back to the drawing board if they don't."