MSU-Meridian’s Savage honored as Social Work Educator of the Year at bi-state conference

Contact: Sarah Nicholas

Portrait of Angela Savage
Angela Savage (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University-Meridian’s Angela Savage, director of the MSU-Meridian social work program and an assistant clinical professor, is being recognized as this year’s Social Work Educator of the Year by the Alabama/Mississippi Social Work Educators Conference.

Established in 1972, the Alabama/Mississippi Social Work Educators Conference is the oldest regional social work education conference, last year celebrating its 50th anniversary. The conference aims to promote the transfer of information between Mississippi and Alabama schools providing social welfare education courses; provide a forum for issues and problems of regional importance; and allow social workers to be more responsive to the changing demands of social work education.

“It’s an honor to receive this prestigious award from my colleagues in social work education and to be recognized as the Social Work Educator of the Year in Mississippi is unbelievable,” said Savage. “This award is for the students at MSU-Meridian. I could not do what I love as an educator without them. They continue to motivate and inspire me to do what I love for the profession.”

Savage continued, “The award also gives recognition that our social work profession is impactful to so many others throughout Mississippi. It is a full circle moment for me as I realized that I attended the AL/MS social work education conference as a student, and to receive this award is such a blessing. The profession is both challenging and rewarding––to get this recognition is remarkable. We must continue to tell everyone about this tradition and continue the legacy of social work education.”

Representatives from all 27 accredited social work programs in Alabama and Mississippi, as well as programs from surrounding states, participate in the annual conference.     

Savage currently serves as president of the Mississippi Chapter of National Association of Social Workers, or NASW, and was named the NASW Social Worker of the Year last year.

Learn more about MSU-Meridian's social work program at Social Work | Meridian - Mississippi State University (msstate.edu).

For more details about the College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.cas.msstate.edu.

MSU-Meridian is online at www.meridian.msstate.edu.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.