SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2026: Rockland – James Tappen

James (Jim) Tappen is a Resident Professor of Business at SUNY Rockland Community College (RCC) in Suffern, NY. He has taught asynchronous online courses in Business, Economics, Marketing, and Accounting during the past 10+ years. Currently he is also involved in the ADA Title II accessibility initiative at RCC as a faculty mentor. In his introduction to his students, he notes that he feels more students, in the years to come, will find themselves taking online courses and that he looks forward to being part of their online experience. Jim holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management (BSIM) from Purdue University.

“I am very honored to be recognized as a 2026 SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador. Online education has allowed so many more individuals to pursue degrees. I have had students from around the world in my classes. This includes individuals in our Armed Services stationed in Europe, and people traveling for their jobs being in a different city every day. Online education has allowed them to move ahead in their professions without being restricted to being in a specific class, on a specific day, at a specific time.

Students are more open in online classes. Through monitoring online discussion, reading their essays and research papers, and answering their personal questions, I feel I know these students better than students I have had in the classroom.

With the advent of so many new technologies, instructors must make use of academia’s investment in these technologies to enhance and expand the education of their students.”