U of A faculty and staff members are heading the first-ever RazorBug Diploma Tour recognizing graduates of online degree programs who stayed and worked in their Arkansas hometowns while earning their degrees.
The RazorBug is a converted red Volkswagen beetle that sports a Razorback snout, tail and razor-edged spine. It has been used for recruitment and special events since 2005.
The tour started out in Hope, with Dr. Michael Hevel, chair of the U of A Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders, presenting the diploma to Gabrielle Patterson.
Patterson had earned her Master of Education in community college leadership online.
Dakotah Cooper of Magnolia was the second recipient of the RazorBug tour. He had become a father just two days after the U of A’s spring commencement, so he was not able to walk at the ceremony in Fayetteville. He was presented his framed diploma for a Master of Science in Operations Management in front of his home, with his wife and daughter present.
“This is a cool experience,” Cooper said as the RazorBug drove into place in front of his home. “I didn’t get a chance to walk at graduation, so to still be presented my diploma is cool.”
Megan Whobrey, adviser and academic services coordinator in the U of A’s College of Engineering, drove from Fayetteville to present Cooper his diploma.
In the next phase of the tour, Austin Kersey of El Dorado received a framed diploma for his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Sarah Bemis, assistant director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the U of A.
Kersey serves as director of nursing at Hudson Memorial Nursing Home in El Dorado and was presented with his diploma in front of the staff of the facility and nursing home residents, some using wheelchairs and many in Razorback red blouses or T-shirts, outside to gather for pictures with Kersey in front of the RazorBug. The nursing home presented Kersey with a Razorback-decorated cake and other refreshments when the group moved back inside.
Star Lowrey-LaGrone held her newborn on one hip and her toddler on the other hip as a photographer documented a diploma-presentation event beside the U of A’s RazorBug on June 27. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree by studying online.
Lowrey-LaGrone’s home in Fort Smith was the first stop on the River Valley leg of the RazorBug Diploma Tour this summer. Jan Emory, associate professor of nursing in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the U of A, traveled from her home in Oklahoma to present the framed diploma for Lowrey-LaGrone.
Baby Atlas was born five days after U of A’s spring commencement, but his impending birth didn’t stop Lowrey-LaGrone from walking at graduation.
“I was determined I was going to do it,” Lowrey-LaGrone said about attending the graduation ceremony. “When I started nursing school, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but nursing education is a good fit. I have two bachelor’s degrees and five minors. I’m a lifelong learner. I love being a student and a teacher.”
Trey Jenkins works as a commercial loan officer at United Federal Credit Union in Fort Smith and began his undergraduate degree at the U of A in 2011 after graduating from high school. On June 28, about 11 years later, the U of A’s RazorBug pulled into the parking lot of Jenkins’ workplace, and Matt Willingham, assistant director of online programs for the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the U of A, presented a framed diploma to Jenkins.
“I felt driven to do it,” Jenkins said. “I was so close when I left. When I was young, I let other things take priority, but I know it’s never too late.”
Isaac Brown receive a framed diploma in front of his son and pregnant wife in Booneville for his master’s degree in electrical engineering earned online from the U of A.
Roy McCann, professor of electrical engineering, traveled from Fayetteville to Rockline Industries in Booneville to present the diploma on June 29.
The RazorBug Diploma Tour was organized by the U of A’s Global Campus. The Global Campus works with academic colleges to offer more than 75 online degree, certificate, microcertificate and licensure programs.
For more information about U of A ONLINE, please visit online.uark.edu.
