• Razorbug Diploma Tour •

Jennifer Haney's husband, Shane, came out to meet the small red car sporting a snout, razor spine, curly tail and hooves that carefully pulled onto the gravel driveway of the family home in rural Magazine. The first presentation of the 2024 Razorbug Diploma Tour honored Jennifer Haney, who earned a Master of Science in Operations Management delivered online by the U of A this spring.

Haney studied for the graduate degree from her home in Logan County in western Arkansas. She holds an undergraduate degree in criminology from Arkansas State University. Haney works from her home taking calls to assist veterans with questions about their benefits.

"I felt intimidated at first because I was in the program with several engineers," Haney said.

Pride replaced that feeling when she got word of an excellent grade on a midterm exam paper.

"My professor said he doesn't give out many grades that high," Haney recalled. "I saved the message on my phone."

That professor was Phil Jones, an instructor in the M.S.O.M. program in the College of Engineering. He traveled from Fayetteville, bringing his commencement regalia - black gown, red stole and mortarboard cap - to wear for the ceremony on June 17 in which he presented Haney her framed diploma.

Insects droned in the still air on the hot afternoon, the sun beating down a few days before the official start of summer later that week. Magazine shares the name of nearby Mount Magazine, which the Arkansas State Parks website reports is the highest peak in Arkansas at 2,753 feet. It's a wooded area that also features sweeping views and agricultural operations. Mount Magazine State Park gets about 400,000 visitors annually and features 94 of Arkansas' 134 species of butterflies.

More than two years ago, staff at the U of A Global Campus dreamed up the idea to drive the Razorbug, a 2005 converted Volkswagen Beetle, around the state to highlight the accomplishments of students who studied online for a degree. Academic colleges at the U of A offer more than 90 online degree, licensure and certificate programs. The M.S.O.M. that Haney earned is the largest graduate program offered by the university in terms of enrollment. It can be completed 100 percent online, but students can also take some in-person classes if that suits them.

On the Razorbug tour, graduates are asked to describe their experiences so that prospective students better understand what it is like to be an online student, both the benefits and challenges. The tour, now in its third year, shows how people hundreds of miles from Fayetteville can further their education studying online without leaving their jobs, families and communities. Their families, friends, co-workers and neighbors share the Razorbug Diploma Tour experience with them.

The Razorbug, on loan from the Office of Admissions, traveled more than 2,100 miles through western, southern, eastern and central Arkansas to present 16 diplomas in 15 counties. Only two of the graduates earned bachelor's degrees. The rest were master's degrees and one doctorate. In academic year 2024, the U of A awarded 1,013 online degrees and certificates.

Haney's family - Shane; daughter, Kearsten; son-in-law, Jeremy; and grandson, John, who is 3½ - celebrated her accomplishment with her, flanking her alongside the car. She said she earned the degree without disrupting her home and work balance.

"I want to spend time with my family," Haney said.

Her family was very supportive, she said, and she was able to receive assistance quickly, both from IT services and faculty, the few times she needed it.

Haney earned three graduate certificates - also online - while getting her master's degree. Several colleges at the U of A offer online graduate certificates and microcertificates for people who want to earn a credential in less time than it takes to get a degree. Often, people want them to qualify for a promotion or a new position. Certificates can also be stacked and applied toward a master's degree, which is what Haney did.

"I was first interested in the homeland security graduate certificate that took 12 hours," she explained. "I thought, why not take the operations management degree for 30 hours? It was well worth the work to get the full degree."

Haney also completed the project management graduate certificate and plans to take the Project Management Professional national certification test from the Project Management Institute.