Universities combine together some socially useful functions (performing blue-sky research, creating an informed populace) with some profitable functions (teac

Universities combine together some socially useful functions (performing blue-sky research, creating an informed populace) with some profitable functions (teaching vocational skills to young people, giving potential employers a way to filter the pool of applicants via credentials.) It may be that one day someone will figure out how to do the profitable things without doing the things that help society, which would be unfortunate. This is rather like how newspapers are suffering because the internet decoupled the profitable thing (advertising) from actually doing original journalism.