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What is the University For? Truth-Seeking, Student Formation, and the Question of Vocation

  • North Carolina Study Center 211 West Cameron Avenue Chapel Hill, NC, 27516 United States (map)

What is the university primarily for?"

This is a fiercely debated question today. Common responses range from 'truth-seeking' to 'advancing knowledge through research' to ‘producing an educated citizenry fit for a democracy.'

What if the primary purpose of the university was more so about student formation than about transmitting information? More so about providing a holistic vision of ‘the good life’ than about career training? Should the university be in the business of character formation (the in loco parentis model) today, and if so what might this practically look like?

Join us as we explore these topics and more with Dr. Perry Glanzer of Baylor University.

  • 5:30 PM: Refreshments and informal conversation

  • 6:00 PM: Event Begins

Speaker Bio: Perry L. Glanzer (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is professor of Educational Foundations at Baylor University and a Resident Scholar with Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. He has also coauthored authored, or edited over a dozen books including:

In addition, he has written or co-written over one hundred journal articles and book chapters on topics related to moral education, faith-based higher education, and the relationship between religion and education. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Christian Scholar’s Review and edits their Christ Animating Learning blog. His primary scholarly and teaching interests pertain to moral education and the relationship between Christianity and education. He is currently overseeing a $2.7 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation studying ‘The Role of Meta-Identity in Developing Moral Communities Within Higher Education.’

This event is hosted in partnership with InterVarsity Graduate & Faculty Ministries.

Earlier Event: September 26
Grad Student Speakeasy