East Arkansas Teacher Expands Impact With Online Master's Degree

University of Arkansas

Heather Lucius, second from right, is joined by Mike Cox, from left, superintendent; Shantele Raper, assistant superintendent, both of Rivercrest School District in Wilson (Mississippi County); and Patty Milner, assistant vice provost for innovation and the online student experience. Lucius was honored June 27 on the Razorbug Diploma Tour.

Heather Lucius' home in Osceola, Arkansas, lies more than 300 miles east of Fayetteville, so when she decided to earn a master's degree from the University of Arkansas, she jumped on the internet instead of the highway.

Putting Osceola to Fayetteville into Google Maps results in three routes, each over 300 miles, but the shortest one in miles takes the longest time because no interstate is available. Most people head south so they can get on Interstate 40 and then Interstate 49 to make the westward and then northerly trek, a good 50 miles further but 45 minutes faster.

Lucius chose a master's degree offered online so she could get the degree without uprooting her three children or leaving her job teaching seventh-grade English in the Rivercrest School District at Wilson. She drives to work about 10 miles through the Delta farmland bordered on the east by the Mississippi River. Mississippi County encompasses both Osceola and Wilson and is also the largest steel-producing county in the United States, according to the Great River Foundation Economic Development website, Cotton to Steel.

In an online search, Lucius discovered the program she wanted — a Master of Education in Special Education — as well as funding to pay her tuition in the form of a federal grant to the U of A called Teaming for Transition. The Teaming for Transition grant brings together an interdisciplinary group of faculty across six U of A programs to prepare graduate students to be effective partners in the development and implementation of transition programs for youth with disabilities. For more information about the grant, contact Suzanne Kucharczyk, its principal investigator, at suzannek@uark.edu.

Along with the master's degree, Lucius earned a graduate certificate in special education transition services, with coursework also delivered online. The transition curriculum focuses on services young adults with disabilities and their families need to successfully move from school to adult life in ways that lead to ongoing employment, community engagement, time with friends and overall independence.

"Teaming for Transition helped me be able to afford to go back to school," Lucius said. "I didn't want to take out loans; I am very thankful."

Getting the special education graduate degree created opportunities for Lucius to be a better classroom teacher, she said.

"I can focus on the needs of students that may have been overlooked," she said. "I assist in making IEPs." An IEP is an individualized education program that outlines the educational needs and services for a child with a disability who attends public school.

"I can be a voice for these students, helping them to achieve in the classroom," Lucius said. "I will continue to add more hands-on experience with the students and meet their needs. With the education I received, I will be able to help those students more."

Creating a local resource map that could direct families in search of services was a highlight of the program for Lucius. 

"I was able to use it in my job," she said.

Lucius was recognized on June 27 in a ceremony outside Rivercrest Junior High with her family, co-workers and friends gathered to support her during a presentation on the Razorbug Diploma Tour. Three 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 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.