Bergen Community College

Business

B.A., Mathematics, College of St. Rose;
M.S.A., Administration of Data Processing, George Washington University;
Ed. D., Higher Education, Seton Hall University
Additional graduate work in Management/Business, University of Houston and New York University

Bergen Community College has offered me many opportunities to serve as both a faculty member and an administrator. Originally, I taught both computer and business courses at Bergen. Then, I held a series of administrative roles including Dean of Business Technologies, Dean for Planning, Research and Information Systems, and Academic Vice President. More than ten years ago, I decided to return to my role as a professor in order to help create the Center for Instructional Technology. Through the work of the Center, we began the College’s initiatives in distance learning and encouraged the use of technology to support instruction. I am still actively involved in both projects; although I now teach business full-time.

Before working at Bergen, I taught and held an administrative position at Alvin Community College (Texas) and taught at Thomas Nelson Community College (Virginia). I’ve also owned my own software development company and worked as a systems programmer/analyst for a Fortune 500 company. My research interests include the effective use of instructional technology to improve student learning, demographic differences in student success in online courses, and the changing nature of work in the 21st Century.

I became a faculty member by accident. I was working in New York when my husband was offered a teaching job in Virginia. He casually mentioned to the Dean that I was working in the computer industry and would have to change jobs when we relocated. The Dean kept offering me a teaching position until I finally agreed. I have never regretted this decision. I have enjoyed my ventures in the private sector but I truly love teaching. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have made a difference in someone else’s life.

I define success as when students learn how to think critically about an issue, are able to find evidence that supports their point, and to communicate their ideas effectively. Students need to apply the concepts they are taught in the classroom to what is happening in the world around them. It is my goal that my students will learn important concepts and critical thinking, instead of just memorizing facts to pass a test.

My students are always teaching me something new and valuable. The diversity of the college community provides an opportunity to learn about so many different cultures. Today’s young people also have to deal with a more complex set of problems and are faced with more difficult choices when compared to people of previous generations.

rangiello@bergen.edu