Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr will deliver Mercersburg Academy’s annual Schaff Lecture on Ethics and Morals on Monday, September 21, in the Burgin Center for the Arts’ Simon Theatre. The event continues the Academy’s long-standing tradition of Monday evening lectures that bring distinguished voices to campus to explore questions of character, values, and human experience. 

Regehr is associate professor of digital humanities at University College London, and her research focuses on the impacts of social media, with a particular emphasis on young people. Her book, Smartphone Nation: Why We’re All Addicted to Our Screens and What You and Your Family Can Do About It, is out now, and copies will be available at the lecture.

“I am neither anti-tech, nor a pro-tech person. I am a pro-information person, “ Regehr says.

While on campus, Regehr will engage with students beyond just the lecture. Prior to her talk, she will join students for dinner on Monday night, conduct a book signing following her presentation, participate in a Q&A on Tuesday morning, and attend classes with Mercersburg students.

The Schaff Family Endowment, which supports the lecture, was funded by and is in honor of Schaff brothers Phillip ’38, Charles ’41, and David ’42. The endowment supports annual speakers “on topics related to fundamental human values—those principles which direct a person’s decisions and actions because they clarify what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong.’”