Isn’t it many of the above: to educate students beyond the secondary level in a way that will prepare them for 21st centrury jobs? Not sure I would agree that is a place to “weed through” or to warehouse potential skilled workers (since most 18 yos are not really all that skilled).
Xiggi you are correct. It makes no sense why college has gotten so expensive when the salaries of professors have not increased nearly as much. Less frills, and lower cost, would be very appealing to many.
In many poor school districts, however, there already is a “no frills” approach due to lack of funds. But the barriers to real learning there are difficult and may not respond to a no frills approach.
Cracking down on for profit colleges or other colleges that take high levels of Pell grants and other federal dollars for little return seems like low hanging fruit in trying to fix some of the problems at the college level.