Passion for Work Leads Extension Agent to Online Gerontology Master’s Degree

Ashley Edgmon played basketball on her middle school and junior high teams in northern Arkansas. As she grew up, her family traveled to Fayetteville to watch the women’s Razorback basketball team play.

“I was a huge Razorback fan,” she said. “Every Saturday, we were watching a game.”

When it was time for college, Edgmon went in another direction, south to Russellville, to earn a bachelor’s degree from Arkansas Tech University in 2013. She studied wellness science.

Now, as an extension agent working in family and consumer sciences in Boone County, Edgmon is on track to earn a graduate degree from the University of Arkansas, the Master of Science in Human and Environmental Sciences.

“I have a passion for older adults,” Edgmon said. “A lot of our clientele and the people who work with me are older adults. I really wanted to learn more about the population, what it is they go through as they age, what they need, and what is important to them.”

Not only that, the online master’s degree in gerontology she’s getting gives students the option to choose online courses from a consortium of universities.

 

IDEA Consortium

IDEA (the Innovative Digital Education Alliance) is a partnership of 20 public universities that provide high-quality, online programs in several fields. In addition to the University of Arkansas, the consortium’s master’s degree in gerontology includes Iowa State University, Texas Tech University, North Dakota State University and Oklahoma State University. This gives Edgmon different perspectives to learn from and a broad-based network to draw upon as a working professional.

“A cool thing is I could reach out to any of these professors if I had a question, needed information or wanted to get insight,” she said. “They have opened themselves up to communicate.”

Staff from the other universities in the consortium have been helpful, too, Edgmon said.

“I never had any trouble getting started,” she said. “There was always somebody from their university reaching out to you who tells you exactly how to sign up, how to log into whatever platform they are using and giving step-by-step instructions.”

 

Course Offerings

Edgmon has studied nutritional needs of older adults and what wellness means as we age as well as financial abuse perpetrated against older adults.

“I hope to be able to relay the information I’m learning and have a better understanding of how to deal with clientele,” she said. “I will have a stronger, firmer foundation in the discipline.”

The consortium structure also means Edgmon is taking courses with students from other parts of the country enrolled through the other universities who also have varying perspectives on gerontology.

“You see what they are doing in their neck of the woods, how their community operates,” Edgmon said. “A lot of the students already work with older adult populations, and they have a passion for long-term care.”

 

Her Work

Edgmon’s job focuses on educating youth and people of all ages about topics including health and nutrition, family life, financial management, food preservation and preparation. Each year, the extension office invites people from the groups they work with and the community in general to discuss priorities for programming needed locally.

“I really enjoy the feeling of purpose and making a difference,” Edgmon said. “Health and nutrition is my background, along with physical activity.”

She began working at the extension service in an administrative role in 2019. She was promoted to extension agent in 2023.

 

On Stage

Edgmon plans to walk at commencement in December in Fayetteville.

“It’s a big sense of accomplishment,” she said.

Her younger sister has a master’s degree, Edgmon said.

“We are first-generation college kids,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing, just a feeling of thankfulness because I had the opportunity, and I have continued my education. I did it while working, being a mom and a wife. It’s a pretty big accomplishment.”