Sentence:  It is natural that he should turn for his major support to a select and dedicated few from the organization which actually owns the university and whose goals <WSD>are</WSD> , in their opinion , identified with its highest good and ( to use that oft-repeated phrase ) ' the attainment of excellence '' ' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)