March 25, 2025
This coming Friday, March 28, is Maria Jackson’s last day with the School of Media and Public Affairs at GW. Maria’s title is Operations Manager, but for 30 years she has been much more than that. Maria has been here longer than most of our faculty, all of our other staff, and all of you. She joined GW before our Media and Public Affairs building was built. For three decades, Maria has been a calming and calm influence in our community. On those rare occasions when Maria didn’t know the answer to a question or how to solve a problem, she knew the person who did. It is the end of an era.
Last Friday we celebrated Maria and honored her time at GW. Dozens of current and former faculty and staff joined Maria’s family in the fifth-floor studio to thank her for all she’s done. Jack McGuire built a slideshow with pictures that faculty and others found dating back many years, Professor Livingston brought an old floppy disk he and Maria kept files on, and everyone had a story. There were speeches from faculty and staff. Ernest, who keeps our building clean and working, and who is as much of an institution here as Maria and our longest-serving professors, said a few words. Many who couldn’t attend - including former GW president Stephen Joel Trachtenberg - sent letters.
When we talk about SMPA as a community, we’re talking about people like Maria. SMPA is classes, events, paperwork, and networking. It’s classrooms that are somehow always too hot or too cold, tech that quits at exactly the wrong moment, and randomly bumping into internationally respected journalists in the elevator. Mostly SMPA is people like Maria and so many others who show up every day to advance our shared mission, and who show up for each other.
If you get a chance, drop by Maria’s office this week to say thank you, she’s in room 406B, across from the front desk. Whether you know it or not, Maria has probably done something for you during your time here at SMPA. Most importantly, Maria has helped make SMPA the community that it is. For that, she deserves all of our thanks.