As other comments point out, the university/college institution is not purely about information, learning, or research. In fact, before World War II, they reall

As other comments point out, the university/college institution is not purely about information, learning, or research. In fact, before World War II, they really weren't about much that was educational at all. They functioned more like social clubs that molded adolescents into young women and men. Post-WWII, many institutions took on new roles because they were either the only ones that could or because it seemed like a natural fit. Colleges seem like one such institution with research and technical training being good examples of how they did so. This worked great for a while. Today there are a number of alternatives that can probably do these things better. As a result, colleges seem to have three options, in descending order of difficulty: 1) adjust to compete 2) revert back to their earlier-condition or 3) cease to exist. I think we'll see examples of all three and probably a few hybrids.