RADFORD -- In April, the Radford University Board of Visitors approved a "workforce transition option," an opportunity for faculty to retire early.

The original program would have made faculty with 20 years of service eligible for what the university says is not a buyout. R.J. Kirk, then the university's rector, suggested that it be expanded to include faculty with at least 15 years of service. "People who are just waiting to qualify for this," he said, "if they want to go, we should let them go."

Provost Wil Stanton told the board that would allow the university to reshape the faculty to fit the new core curriculum, a redesign of the general education classes all students have to take. Because the replacement faculty would be paid less, Stanton said, the move could reduce payroll by $2 million if 75 of the 98 eligible faculty members took the university's offer.

And that would be if all 75 of those positions were filled. There's no guarantee that will happen. In fact, in the guiding principles of the program distributed to the board, the provost reserved the right to reallocate positions and make "other long-term resource realignments."

More than a fourth of the university's faculty was eligible for the program. Half of the tenured faculty was eligible.

Only 28 faculty members applied; 20 were accepted by the beginning of the semester. Eventually, the number grew to 23. They will leave the school Dec. 31.

"While the WTO will provide some flexibility, I must also recognize these 20 faculty members as individuals providing decades of experience, wisdom and leadership to our university," Provost Will Stanton said at the convocation that began the fall semester. "They will be sorely missed."

The departing faculty members represent more than 600 years of collective service to the university.

On Thursday, Stanton and President Penelope Kyle hosted a reception in the new Covington Center, honoring the retirees.