Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age (2008), has been named the first Norb and Carol Schedler Scholar in Residence. Her visit to UCA will feature a public lecture on Tuesday, March 3, at 7 pm in the College of Business Auditorium, titled “A Workmanship of Risk: The Craftsmanship of Thought in an Age of Speed.”
Jackson is a former foreign correspondent, with postings in Tokyo and London, and columnist for the Boston Globe. She has won numerous awards for her coverage of work-life issues. Her first book, What’s Happening to Home? Balancing Work, Life and Refuge in the Information Age (2002), was called “a provocative look at work and family that challenges us to examine our lives and find our own solutions” by Library Journal. Featuring a foreward by Bill McKibben, Distracted is “an original treatment of an important subject,” according to the Christian Science Monitor. “[Jackson’s] message bears particular relevance to parents and teachers, who hold the power to help shape the attitudes of younger generations.”
Jackson becomes the first in a series of nationally-renowned speakers to be brought to campus by the Norb and Carol Schedler Scholar in Residence program, established by Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Founding Director of the Schedler Honors College at UCA, Norb Schedler, and his wife Carol. Schedler’s passionate interest in the future of human flourishing and the changing conditions of our environment, both natural and human-built, is reflected in the choice of topic and speaker for this inaugural event.
The visit is co-sponsored by the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College, the Department of Philosophy and Religion, the Department of Psychology, the Women’s Giving Circle, and the Gender Studies Program. Jackson’s lecture is also a featured event in UCA’s celebration of Women’s History Month. After the lecture, the sponsoring organizations invite attendees to stay for a reception and book signing.
“Maggie Jackson’s talk brings together several ideas that we’ve been talking about in the Honors College over the past few years,” said Dr. Richard Scott, dean of the Schedler Honors College. “Not only is she interested in the effect of technology on human life, but her current project addresses craftsmanship, a concept rooted in the material conditions of work, which was a major focus of Challenge Week 2014 with our keynote speaker Matthew Crawford. These kinds of connections are a great example of what Norb Schedler has explored with students over the 33-year history of Honors at UCA.”
– 30 –
