William Deresiewicz, Ph.D.
Bestselling Author, The New York Times, Critic and College Speaker
Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life
Many of today’s high-achieving high school students plunge headlong into the frenetic process that they hope will get them admitted to one of the country’s elite colleges and universities. Once enrolled at an Ivy League or equivalent school, they find themselves on a narrowly defined track to professional “success”—and in this myopic quest, they miss out on the introspective process of self-discovery that should be an essential component of a college experience. The result, says cultural critic and former Yale University professor William Deresiewicz, Ph.D., is mounting discontent among a new generation for whom entitlement has supplanted purpose, and life has been largely stripped of personally forged values. After Deresiewicz’s essay in The American Scholar, “The Disadvantages of an Elite Education,” went viral, he realized he had struck a collective nerve, and he began to delve further into the origins and consequences of this endemic problem. The resulting brand new bestseller, Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, has sparked a national conversation on the issues of educational values, measures of personal success, and the path to self-discovery.
There have been countless reviews of Excellent Sheep, both positive and negative. Deresiewicz is neither a social scientist nor a research psychologist; he is an essayist who has spent many years educated by, and employed by, Ivy League institutions. While much has been made of his edgy characterizations of elite students, and some have tried to devalue his views by claiming that Excellent Sheep is simply the sour grapes ranting of a professor denied tenure, the appealing meat of the book is an impassioned argument in defense of the liberal arts as the gateway to self-knowledge. He argues that last year, 50% of Harvard’s graduating class chose finance or consulting as their chosen career; and he demands to know, are these the only two choices left in America for the best and brightest? How do today’s young adults skillfully navigate the sometimes-antithetical pursuits of career and calling?
The Family Action Network (FAN) has hosted many speakers who have talked about authentic success, about about the importance of social-emotional intelligence, about non-cognitive capacities, the importance of grit, perseverance, resilience, courage, whole-heartedness, vulnerability, mindfulness, compassion, and empathy. This event is a continuation of those conversations, and an opportunity for some audience members to practice the prized skill of equanimity.
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Upcoming Events
Year of the Monkey: An Evening with Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Writer, performer, and visual artist
Evanston Township High School Auditorium
Live streaming video of this event will be available, beginning at 7:00 PM, on the ETHS Wildkits YouTube Live Stream channel.
Special thanks to DJ Jeff Pazen for pre- and post-event music!
The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World
Adam Waytz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
North Shore Country Day School Auditorium
The Great Juggling Act: Balancing Life as a Parent
Julie Morgenstern
Time-management and productivity specialist, and author of Organizing from the Inside Out, Never Check Email in the Morning, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, and the brand-new Time to Parent: Organizing Your Life to Bring Out the Best in Your Child and You
New Trier High School, Northfield Campus, Cornog Auditorium