Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D.

IRVINE -- University of California, Irvine Extension, the continuing education unit of UC Irvine, announces the reappointment of its dean of continuing education, Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D., for a second term as treasurer of the OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCWC). Matkin will play a vital role in the leadership of the consortium -- a teaming of more than 200 global higher education institutions and associated organizations, united by the goal of advancing education and empowering people worldwide through the open sharing of educational resources.

The OCWC is a recognized leader in fostering the growth of the OpenCourseWare (OCW) movement, which promotes the open sharing of knowledge by enabling learners -- anywhere, no matter who or where they are -- to view and use university-level course materials and resources through the Web, for free. Members of OCWC have produced more than 95 live OCW sites and have published nearly 9,000 courses under open licenses, spreading the open educational resources movement worldwide.

"OCW was inspired by the belief that it will advance human knowledge, creativity and social welfare. The movement is based on the notion that knowledge and education should be open and freely shared," explained Matkin. "I am honored to be reappointed as treasurer of the OCWC and proud to be a part of the open educational resources community."

In Matkin's role as treasurer, he will oversee the OCWC budget and ensure that the organization has enough funds to carry out its stated aims and objectives. In addition to managing the organization's budget, he will report the organization's financial status to the board.

"Dean Matkin's extensive background in financial management for continuing education makes him the ideal choice as treasurer of the organization," said Terri Bays, OCWC interim executive director. "Matkin has been an outstanding representative of the OCWC and exemplifies the organization's commitment to expanding awareness of the OCW movement."

Prior to becoming UC Irvine's dean of continuing education in March 2000, Matkin was associate dean at UC Berkeley Extension, where he was chief academic officer and responsible for the UC Extension distance learning program, including its rapidly expanding online education initiative. Matkin began his career in continuing education in 1973. He holds a doctorate in higher education and a master's degree in business administration from UC Berkeley. Matkin is a certified public accountant and the author of "Effective Budgeting in Continuing Education" (1985), "Technology Transfer and the University" (1990) and "Using Financial Information in Continuing Education: Accepted Methods and New Approaches" (1997). He resides in Irvine with his wife, Maya, and their son, Ethan.

UC Irvine was the first University of California campus -- and university on the West Coast  -- to join the OCW Consortium. UC Irvine's membership in the OCW Consortium is consistent with its public- and land-grant missions and its desire to play a significant role in contributing to the social welfare of the state, the nation and the world. Open educational resources (OER) showcase the university's high quality education and makes courses and course materials free for everyone in the world. UC Irvine's OCW is a large-scale, Web-based resource that houses educational assets that are discoverable, searchable, modifiable, and, best of all, free and easily available. Through the OCW movement, UC Irvine provides university-quality courses and learning assets to populations of self-learners that are underserved and, in many cases, unable to participate in formal education at a university. This site also offers access to UC Irvine's online continuing education offerings. For more information about UC Irvine's OCW initiative, visit http://ocw.uci.edu/ or e-mail ocw@unx.uci.edu.

As the university's continuing education arm, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a university-level learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies via online curriculum as well as through on campus classes. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience, from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. For more information, visit www.extension.uci.edu.