HONOLULU -- University of Hawaii officials are bracing for deeper cuts as the economy continues to sputter.

The University system operates on a $1.5 billion budget. While the governor signaled a $13 million cut for UH, given falling tax collections university administrators are planning on additional belt tightening.

"We are expecting to cut about $31 million out of general fund cuts total of $725 million, but we have other sources of revenue," UH President David McClain said.

McClain is banking on the return of overhead from research grants, from tuition and some help from the government's stimulus package.

With enrollment up by 30,000 systemwide, including community colleges, the federal government is expected to send Hawaii an extra $15 million in Pell grants.

"We are focused. We know what is most important to us and that will guide our system and our campuses," McClain said.

Dwindling revenues from UH games is also a worry threatening a fragile sports budget.

UH Athletic Director Jim Donovan reassured UH Regents at a board meeting on Friday that the last thing on his list is eliminating a current sports program.

"I absolutely don't want to cut a sport. It's an absolute last resort. If it was necessary, we could only look at men's sports because of Title Nine gender equity and you can't look at men's and football and basketball if you want to remain division one," Donovan said.

The financial pain is being felt across the campus.

The UH Foundation eliminated 18 positions this month. The foundation's endowment dropped 21 percent during the last half of the year.

Various UH campuses are drawing up lists of possible places to cut. Among the options being floated are furloughing deans and administrators.

A final decision on the cuts is still about a month away. A critical factor will be how much money has been flowing into the state coffers from tax collections. The decision should come around during the first week of March.