• W.E. Manning Memorial Scholarship Recipient •

Father and Son Begin Their College Journey Together at the U of A

Jason Cunningham didn't expect to become a Razorback, but when he helped his son apply to the University of Arkansas, he saw an opportunity for himself, as well. Now, the father-son duo are set to experience college life side by side, one online and one on campus.

While helping his son apply to attend on-campus classes at the University of Arkansas, Cunningham, 43, enrolled himself in the online BSBA in Human Resources Management program at the University of Arkansas with the goal to graduate in 2029.

"I felt like it would be beneficial for me to go through this process with my son and that we could essentially share registration, ideas and such through the process, so that's where we are today," he said. "We do his move-in in just a couple of weeks, and we're really excited about that, but it's kind of a unique opportunity for us both to go to the University of Arkansas."

His son will start at the U of A this coming fall, in pursuit of a 3+3 accelerated law program through the History Department of Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Students in this program may choose to pursue an accelerated pathway to the University of Arkansas School of Law, spending 3 years earning a bachelor of arts in political science then, for their fourth year, begin their first year of law school.

Cunningham, who had been studying for a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership at another Arkansas university, uncovered attractive points about the U of A that tempted him to switch universities.

Though they will attend different colleges and follow different fields of study, father and son can still share the learning experience, everything from the registration process, through enrollment, and all the way to helping each other locate campus resources, he said.

"I think we will get to explore and help each other by being able to discuss what is going on, explore resources that each might not know is available," Cunningham said.

Name recognition for the state's flagship campus was one large positive point in the university's favor.

"Most know the University of Arkansas," he said. "Most know what the Walton College of Business is about. One of the real benefits of being a part of the program is that those things follow you on your resume. That was one of the big drivers, along with recognizing that the expense was very, very comparable, that it wasn't uniquely more expensive, and then the benefit of being a part of the University of Arkansas flagship institution."

Cunningham's interest in this online program relies heavily on the fact that he can study at his own pace. Working full-time while interacting with his wife and three children doesn't leave much time in the day for everything, he said. Virtual asynchronous learning is, for Cunningham, the right answer.

"Typically, the degree requirements are based on you-have-until-midnight type deadlines," he said. "You understand what those deadlines are and plan accordingly versus having a set particular time to be in class, to hear the lecture and what-have-you. One of the other unique things is, is that when instructors post lectures online, if you're in the car, you have a little bit of windshield time, you can listen to those lectures. You're making the most use of the time that you have."

An additional time-saver, for Cunningham, are the condensed courses, like summer five-week or standard eight-week sessions. These shorter classes allow him to work through the credit hours at a faster pace. The shorter formats help him meet academic requirements without the extended timeline of more traditional 12-week semesters.

The versatility of the available elective courses allows Cunningham to customize his education, which he feels was a definite benefit.

"I've always felt like I'm a lifelong learner, and I do think that that is excellent to be a part of an online program because it really does allow for me to continue to learn," he said. "If I find a course that's interesting, maybe it's not completely a part of my degree but I find interest in it, I can add that in and be able to do that. And I think that those are the things that just broaden my perspective and horizons, hopefully make me a better leader in my government role."

Prior to coming to the U of A, Cunningham worked his way up the professional ladder, starting as an EMT, then a paramedic, an instructor for ambulance services, and adjunct faculty at a university. He spent several years working for Laerdal Medical, a medical device company based out of Stavanger, Norway; for them he provided product education for high-fidelity medical simulators that allow students to practice various medical procedures.

He now uses his medical expertise as a program analyst to help coordinate the deployment of personnel and resources to support medical operations during public health emergencies or planned events with potential health risks. This could mean several things, either a response to a medical emergency such as an epidemic or natural disaster all the way to setting up medical response areas at high-risk events or locations.

"As an intermittent (part-time) employee, I was called up similar to the National Guard, but we did this for the Department of Health and Human Services and we took care of medical disasters," he said. "I'm now a full-time program analyst through Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, commonly called ASPR. When disasters impact the medical infrastructure, I am one of the operators responsible for sending out disaster teams that set up or augment local medical services, whether it be setting up a tent hospital in a Walmart parking lot or outside of an emergency department to boost their capabilities during a crisis. We also augment our federal partners at national special security events such as the inauguration, joint sessions of Congress, or meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, wherever we need resources staged."

Cunningham also isn't above poking fun at himself and finding humor in his future.

"The joke that I have about this is, is that this degree is essentially my retirement plan," Cunningham said. "With my wife being an RN and me going this human resources path, I thought, wow, this is a perfect opportunity that when the kids are grown and gone, her and I can end up on a cruise ship, me doing human resources, her doing medical and we can sail around the world and be able to just enjoy the high seas, so that's kind of the around-the-house joke right now."

Cunningham is one of 39 recipients of the W.E. Manning Memorial Scholarship for online U of A students for the 2025-2026 academic year. The scholarship began with small gifts from many people who passionately believe in the transformative power of education. It was created in 2018 to financially assist students who are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate online degree programs.

"One of the big challenges of deciding to go back to school was, how I'm going to financially afford it," Cunningham said. "I would have to say I'm humbled because I am appreciative of the opportunity of receiving these funds. I'm going to utilize this opportunity that's been afforded to continue my education. Earning this scholarship confirmed that I was making the right decision of going back to school and that there is help out there to be able to do those things."

Regarding the scholarship application process, Cunningham said, "I was pretty amazed at the amount of scholarships available for returning students and online students. The University of Arkansas has a very nice portal to a simple questionnaire that tags you for the potential scholarships that you're eligible for or that kind of follow your particular path and align you to being able to click and just complete any of the additional requirements that might be necessary for the scholarship. It was very easy."