A steadily declining enrollment in a division that helps international students master English at Hawai'i Pacific University is leading to its closure, officials said.

The decision to close the Center for English Language Programs came after its main service saw a 75 percent enrollment decline over the past 10 years.

The dramatic cut came in the number of non-English-speaking students seeking the language skills needed to enroll in a degree program at HPU.

Typically, students enrolled to improve English speaking, writing, reading and grammar skills before being admitted into an undergraduate degree program, said John Kearns, associate vice president for academic programs.

Kearns said there were a couple of reasons for dropping the program, reasons that go back to "the Asian economic crisis of 1997, for instance, (which) made it difficult for students in some Asian countries to afford to come into our program."

The university also cited visa restrictions following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and competition from private English training companies as reasons for the enrollment decline.

Enrollment of students from Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, for example, dropped substantially over the past 10 years, Kearns said. Typically, students from those countries had a larger presence at HPU.

Officials said the closure does not indicate a drop in international enrollment, which is up about 1 percent over the past three years. However, enrollment of students from Asia is down by about 6 percent.

International students account for about a third of HPU's enrollment of about 8,080 degree-seeking students. The school, the largest private university in the state, has seen an enrollment increase of four percent over the past three years.

With international students no longer needing the English-language service, the university has decided to outsource it beginning May 2008.

The decision to close the center affects eight faculty members, some part-time and some full-time. Those faculty members are expected to be laid off at the end of the academic year and will receive a "generous severance package," according to the university.

Four of the 12 faculty members in the Center for English Language Programs are expected to be transferred to the university's Teaching English as a Second Language department.

In a memo addressed to HPU faculty and staff, university president Chatt G. Wright said beginning May 2008, the university will outsource its English language training to private company ELS, a major provider of language instruction with 42 centers across the country.

The private company will likely set up shop on or near HPU's downtown campus, Kearns said.

HPU's decision to close its center follows a nationwide trend to outsource English training to private companies, which are generally seen as more efficient and affordable. The University of California-Berkeley, for instance, last year outsourced its English language training to the same private company.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.