Nuclear Plant Project Manager Gains Skills From Online Education

The cooling tower of Arkansas Nuclear One, which many people have seen only from Interstate 40, provided the backdrop when senior project manager Jordan Baumberger received a framed diploma for his Master of Science in Operations Management from the U of A.

The nearly 15-year employee of Entergy in Russellville completed the graduate degree delivered online last spring. Steam billowed from the 450-foot-tall tower as Phil Jones, an instructor in the College of Engineering, presented Baumberger with his diploma during the Razorbug Diploma Tour. The presentation took place June 18 at the Entergy facility on the banks of Lake Dardanelle. Arkansas Nuclear One supplies power to 730,000 customers in 63 counties in Arkansas. Two reactors at the Pope County site began operating in 1974 and 1980.

Baumberger said the flexibility of a 100 percent online program was key for him to pursue his career goals, especially when he became the dad of two young children.

"Luckily, they go to bed pretty early, so at 8 o'clock, that was my time to work on my courses and on weekends during naptime," he said. "My wife has her master's degree, and she was really happy I pursued my higher education. She understood what it took to do it."

Baumberger earned his mechanical engineering bachelor's degree from the U of A in 2009 and went to work for Entergy. He initially enrolled in the graduate certificate in project management offered online by the College of Engineering in 2018 because he wanted to make a change in his career path. He used the hours he took for the project management graduate certificate to fulfill classroom training requirements to receive a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute, an international credentialing body. He was promoted to senior project manager in 2020 with both the PMP certificate and the U of A certificate in hand.

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, including the M.S.O.M.

Baumberger joined the ranks of other working Arkansans who have been able to advance their careers by earning graduate degrees offered online by the academic colleges at the U of A without leaving their jobs or uprooting their families. The U of A offers more than 90 online degree, certificate and licensure programs. The M.S.O.M. has the largest enrollment among graduate programs offered by the U of A.

"It's a blend of business with engineering that addresses skills you need in management, including decision-making and risk management," Baumberger said.

The 2024 Razorbug Diploma Tour, in its third year, travels the state in the summer to celebrate the accomplishments of graduates of online degree programs. The Razorbug, a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle converted to look like a Razorback with hooves, snout, curly tail and razor spine, 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 2023, the U of A awarded 1,074 online degrees and certificates.

Global Campus recruiter Chrystal Thomas contributed to this story.

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