Alabama A&M Social Work Leader Wins National Honor
Prospective social work students in Alabama can explore distance and hybrid degree options shaped by this recognized educator.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Distance Learning
April Lavette Jones, director of strategic innovation and distance social work education at Alabama A&M University, received the 2026 Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award from the Council on Social Work Education. The honor recognizes her work shaping the university's social work programs, including distance education.
Why it matters
Jones is helping shape Alabama A&M's undergraduate, master's, and doctoral social work programs, including distance education options that can make degrees more reachable for students who cannot relocate to campus. The recognition highlights how online and hybrid training is becoming a central part of preparing social workers in Alabama.
Jones has more than two decades of professional experience and holds a master of social work from the University of Alabama and a doctorate in psychology from Walden University. The award is the 2026 Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award, presented by the Council on Social Work Education.
The players
Alabama A&M University
A public historically Black university in Normal, Alabama, offering undergraduate, master's, and doctoral social work programs.
Council on Social Work Education
The accrediting and professional body that presents the Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award.
The details
Jones leads efforts at Alabama A&M that combine strategic innovation, responsible use of artificial intelligence, distance education, faculty development, and partnerships with employers in the social work workforce. These efforts reach students through the university's undergraduate, master's, and doctoral social work programs. Jones will begin teaching group work and psychopathology courses in the spring, bringing her classroom work directly to students in those programs.
Timeline
Fall 2026: Jones arrives on the Alabama A&M campus.
2026: Jones receives the Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award.
Spring 2027: Jones begins teaching group work and psychopathology courses.
Education Landscape
Recognition from the Council on Social Work Education places Jones's distance-learning work within the accreditation system that sets standards for social work programs nationwide. Online and hybrid delivery has expanded across higher education in recent years, and social work programs are adapting to serve working and geographically distant students.
Prospective social work students in Alabama can ask the Alabama A&M social work department whether its distance-education options fit their schedules and location. Students weighing an online MSW or doctoral program should confirm current admissions requirements and cost details directly with the department or the university's financial-aid office.
The takeaway
Recognition for distance social work education signals that online and hybrid training is gaining standing within the profession. Prospective students interested in Alabama A&M's social work programs should contact the department directly to ask about current distance-learning formats and admissions timelines.
Further reading
For more on how online degrees are reshaping access, explore Distance Learning programs across Alabama.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.
