The moral vision of many universities today is limited and thin. This is evident in how they conceive of their ultimate aim or purpose. It is also evident in their curricula, pedagogical approaches, and student life programs. In Identity Excellence: A Theory of Moral Expertise for Higher Education, Perry L. Glanzer articulates an alternative moral vision for universities--one that is rich, provocative, complex, interdisciplinary, and humanizing. Clearly and engagingly structured and written, Glanzer's book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the aims of higher education, and especially to those who believe a university education should be personally transformative.

In this compelling book for educators and students, Perry L. Glanzer draws on a career's worth of expertise and a range of academic disciplines to make the important argument that the current emphasis on preparing students for political or professional probity is insufficient. We must lift our eyes and broaden our focus in order to prepare students for the pursuit of moral excellence across all the dimensions of their lives, especially the Great Identities. This will involve the pursuit of moral expertise as part of a community and the ability to effectively prioritize and integrate different identities--tasks fruitfully undertaken within a theological frame recognizing humans as made in God's image.

What would college look like if it truly prepared students to live life well? In Identity Excellence: A Theory of Moral Expertise for Higher Education, Perry L. Glanzer gives us a brilliant blueprint: education for excellence in the Great Identities.