University Lake School will welcome William Deresiewicz to campus, on Wednesday, October 21, for the next Community Leadership Speaker Series event. The author, essayist, and former Yale professor will present "What is education for?" and examine how the college admissions game can misserve students and what we can do about it.
Deresiewicz is best known for his book, Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, which examines the pressures surrounding elite college admissions and the impact those pressures can have on students and their education.
What Is Education For?
For high school students and families, the college admissions process can sometimes become the focus of the high school experience. Deresiewicz’s presentation invites the audience to take a step back and consider a bigger question: What should education actually accomplish?
His talk, "What is education for?", will explore the ways the college admissions game can shape how students think about achievement, learning, and their futures, as well as what students, families, and educators can do differently.
The conversation will be particularly relevant for high school students and their families, as well as educators and community members interested in the purpose of education and the college admissions process.
Join William Deresiewicz at University Lake School
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
6:30–7:30 p.m. | Evening presentation: "What is education for?"
7:30–8:30 p.m. | Meet & Greet and Book Signing
Treiber Theater at University Lake School
4024 Nagawicka Road
Hartland, WI 53029
The event is part of University Lake School’s Community Leadership Speaker Series and is open to the community.
RSVP for the William Deresiewicz event: https://forms.gle/qsxD5BQuvNaVtCa9A
This event is sponsored by the Barkow Family and presented by University Lake School and Books & Company.
