• Razorbug Diploma Tour •

When a traditional route didn't work well for Tiana Steyer at times in her life, she became good at finding another way to be successful.

She earned two college degrees at once to advance her career at an international manufacturing company with a facility in northeast Arkansas. Steyer's employer, the Prysmian Group in Paragould, manufactures automotive battery cables. How do you complete two college degrees at the same time? It helps if one of them is delivered online for maximum convenience and flexibility.

For the first two semesters after she enrolled in the Master of Science in Operations Management delivered online by the U of A, Steyer drove about 22 miles from Paragould to Jonesboro to take classes three times a week on the Arkansas State University campus. That was to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from ASU.

"It was pretty easy for me," Steyer said. "I did virtual schooling for nine years when I was in middle school and part of high school, so I was already used to setting my time aside from other activities. With (the master's degree) classes not having actual meet-up times, it was very easy to do on my own at night, in the evenings and on weekends."

Steyer said her boss at Prysmian encouraged her to pursue a chemistry degree so she could move into a chemist's role with the company. He allowed her to work around the time that traveling and attending class required. She had already earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from ASU in 2017, during which she studied chemistry as a minor. The company promoted her to chemist from research and development technician in July. However, her position also requires knowledge of business management.

"The M.S.O.M. skills are ingrained into every part of it," Steyer said. "I was looking for a master's that would lead me from the chemistry side to operational management. On some projects I was being required to do, I wasn't exactly understanding how it was all working together. This was a way for me to understand what I was being asked and how all these functions work together."

Her favorite project in the master's program came in an advanced project management class when students worked with small businesses and helped set up business plans for them. She also enjoyed the leadership principles and practices course, which required students to read several books describing the styles of prominent leaders in history.

Prysmian makes automotive cables, and one of its largest product lines is shielded battery cables for electric vehicles. Steyer incorporates her knowledge of principles such as project management, cost analysis and working with suppliers with her science background. Her job also includes some online teamwork.

"I like being in the lab and solving problems," Steyer said. "It's never boring. Every day is a little different. I am full time in person, but I report to our research and development manager who is remote. I am at the facility every day, but half of the people I deal with are in other states."

She finished the master's degree last May, and the Razorbug Diploma Tour came to Paragould in June to present her diploma. A resident of the nearby tiny community of Lafe, Steyer chose the automotive repair shop her dad, Carl Steyer, operates in Paragould for the presentation. Kerry Melton, teaching assistant professor of engineering, presented Steyer the framed diploma on June 27. The tour celebrates the accomplishments of graduates who earned degrees online without leaving their jobs, families and communities.

Steyer's experience with finding a route that works for her goes back even further, however, to her childhood when she was attending public school in another state. She had entered kindergarten knowing how to read but regressed to the point she was placed in remedial classes. Her mother, Lynn Nyland, knew something was not right and enrolled her daughter in an online school instead. This virtual academy was in its infancy, and mother and daughter became active participants both in Steyer's success and the success of the online school.

"By fifth grade, I was reading at above grade level," she said. "There was a lot of work in between there, but I really jumped. I went from being behind in everything … from basically being in special ed classes to advanced placement in everything. Because it was the first class of the virtual school, my mom and I were advocates for the school."

Steyer's mom took a leadership role with parents' groups, and Steyer served as a sort of unofficial ambassador helping other new students to adjust and pairing with them on school-organized outings.

At 29, with two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree, Steyer said she may stop here with education but then immediately reconsidered.

"I know I get bored very easily," she said. "We joke I may get a teaching degree as I get further into my career. If I go back to school, it would be for a teaching degree, I think."

The 2024 Razorbug Diploma Tour is in its third year. The 2005 converted Volkswagen Beetle with hooves, razor spine, curly tail and snout is the centerpiece of a ceremony repeated the past three summers in small towns across western, southern and eastern Arkansas.

The Razorbug was on loan from the Office of Admissions. Global Campus staff drove the Bug more than 2,100 miles 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. The U of A offers more than 90 degree and licensure programs delivered partially or completely online. In academic year 2024, the U of A awarded 1,013 online degrees and certificates.