This is a public announcement that TransPacific Hawaii College (TPHC) will close its operation on December 31, 2008.

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges has placed TPHC on Show Cause, requiring that TPHC submit a Show Cause Report by October 15, 2008. TPHC will attempt to show in detail that the recommendations stated by the ACCJC will be satisfactorily met, except for the issue of reconstructing a sound financial structure.

The area of finance is the most difficult issue among the recommendations made to TPHC. Many American junior colleges are publicly funded. In addition, it is the common practice among many American four-year universities to have tremendous amount of endowment for operations. However, because of the uniqueness of TPHC, it is unrealistic for the college to secure funding other than from tuition collected from students. TPHC will not be able to be free from the status of a tuition driven institution. In other words, whether or not TPHC will be able to have a strong financial foundation to sustain the college will depend on whether the college will be able to retain a strong, steady enrollment.

There are many factors that have contributed to this financial instability. One of the major factors is the lack of interest in a two-year education among Japanese senior high school students. Unlike American community colleges, more than sixty percent of junior colleges in Japan are facing a shortfall of applicants. As TPHC targets an applicant pool in Japan, the amount of applicants has not been sufficient to sustain the college.

Assuming that the decline of the demand for two-year education in Japan will continue, it will be unrealistic to reestablish a financially strong institution. It is after months of deliberations and attempts at making the College financially viable that we came to this difficult decision to close the college. Given the inevitability of this decision, the college will continue to keep the best interest of our currently enrolled students and assist them with securing their immediate futures. The members of TPHC express their gratitude for your support.