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Fitzpatrick Lecturer William Deresiewicz Speaks on Purpose of Education
Author and literary critic William Deresiewicz spoke to Woodberry Forest School's students and faculty on November 2, 2015, about the purpose of education in developing character and leadership.
Dr. Deresiewicz, who shared that his visit to Woodberry was "the first time I've set foot on a boarding school campus," spoke of misconceptions about the role of character and leadership education in academic settings. He defined the study of liberal arts, and argued that learning about the humanities and sciences leads to learning how to think, to building one's self, and to participating in collective self-government. "Very soon, you will need to take responsibility not only for yourselves, but also collectively for the world," he told his audience of young men. "Now is the time to start."
William Deresiewicz was educated at Columbia University and has taught there and at Yale University. His recent book, the best-selling Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life was the Woodberry faculty summer reading selection. Students read his well-known "Solitude and Leadership," a 2009 address to the plebe class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and many had the opportunity to discuss the piece with him during classroom visits.
The Fitzpatrick Lecture Series was established in 1973 through gifts from Mr. and Mrs. William Fitzpatrick, parents and grandparents of six Woodberry alumni. The late Mr. Fitzpatrick was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a member of the Woodberry Forest School Board of Trustees, and an honorary alumnus. Past Fitzpatrick lecturers include civil rights leader James Farmer, presidential candidate Ralph Nader, astronaut Fred Haise, and sports journalist John Feinstein.
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Dr. Deresiewicz, who shared that his visit to Woodberry was "the first time I've set foot on a boarding school campus," spoke of misconceptions about the role of character and leadership education in academic settings. He defined the study of liberal arts, and argued that learning about the humanities and sciences leads to learning how to think, to building one's self, and to participating in collective self-government. "Very soon, you will need to take responsibility not only for yourselves, but also collectively for the world," he told his audience of young men. "Now is the time to start."
William Deresiewicz was educated at Columbia University and has taught there and at Yale University. His recent book, the best-selling Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life was the Woodberry faculty summer reading selection. Students read his well-known "Solitude and Leadership," a 2009 address to the plebe class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and many had the opportunity to discuss the piece with him during classroom visits.
The Fitzpatrick Lecture Series was established in 1973 through gifts from Mr. and Mrs. William Fitzpatrick, parents and grandparents of six Woodberry alumni. The late Mr. Fitzpatrick was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a member of the Woodberry Forest School Board of Trustees, and an honorary alumnus. Past Fitzpatrick lecturers include civil rights leader James Farmer, presidential candidate Ralph Nader, astronaut Fred Haise, and sports journalist John Feinstein.
Woodberry Forest School is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.
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Woodberry Forest admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, and national or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs. The school is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students.