Camden Woman Completes Degrees Back-to-Back With Online Master's Option

University of Arkansas

Lilly Sponer, in a red dress next to the Razorbug, celebrates with her family and friends and professor Tim Killian, back row, third from left, after her diploma presentation June 19 in Camden.

Lilly Sponer completed an undergraduate degree in person at the U of A in Fayetteville and returned to her hometown of Camden in southern Arkansas to teach first grade. She was not finished with her educational journey at the U of A, however.

Online delivery made going on to graduate school doable.

The Razorbug Diploma Tour celebrated Sponer in June for earning a Master of Science in human environmental sciences last spring with a focus on human development and family science from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Tim Killian, an associate professor in the program, presented her framed diploma June 19 outside a restaurant in Camden (Ouachita County). A light rain lifted just as the presentation began, which ended with Sponer's family and friends calling the Hogs.

Sponer started her master's degree the semester after finishing her bachelor's degree, and that was possible because the M.S. in human environmental sciences is delivered online. In a way, the COVID-19 pandemic showed Sponer what was possible. She got a taste of online coursework during her bachelor's degree because of the shutdown in 2020.

Taking courses online made her feel like she had a bit more free time, even while working full time, she said.

"I could come and go as I wanted," Sponer said. "I put aside a certain time to do my assignments. That was convenient, especially while working. I moved back home to be around family and friends."

Sponer now teaches kindergarten at Smackover Elementary School in nearby Union County.

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. U of A faculty and staff celebrate the accomplishments of graduates who earned degrees online without leaving their jobs, families and communities. The U of A offers more than 90 degree and licensure programs delivered partially or completely online.

The 2024 Razorbug Diploma Tour is in its third year. The Razorbug was on loan from the Office of Admissions. Global Campus staff drove the Bug 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.