The Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland on Friday authorized furloughs for 22,000 employees as part of plans to save $16-million across the system. Chancellor William E. Kirwan said in a letter that he would work with the 15 individual campuses to develop furlough plans that “ensure minimal disruptions to classes and student services.”

Earlier this fall, the system froze hiring and increased class sizes after the state cut its budget. Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, announced this month that continued declines in state revenues meant further budget cuts that could include short-term furloughs.

The university system, which is separate from the rest of the state personnel system, will come up with its own furlough plans, Mr. Kirwan said. But university leaders are steeling themselves for further cuts. “Who knows what’s going to happen over the course of this fiscal year,” Mr. Kirwan told The Washington Post. —Scott Smallwood