@CU123- I agree that I hope my son goes to college not only with some people who go on to earn high salaries but also with some people who are less concerned with making a huge salary afterwards but want to have an impact on the world in another way- community organizers and volunteers, artists, musicians, poets, public school teachers, college professors, think-tank analysts, news reporters, workers for nonprofit organizations, government workers, etc. A college should be rich in the “life of the mind,” and some careers that students may pursue based on their intellectual and/or social passions may not be high-paying. I understand the “return on investment” concept. I just think not all returns can be quantified monetarily.
But it makes sense that parents and students will want to know that their degree will enhance rather than inhibit their chance of landing the job they want, whatever that job may be.
Plus, ranking lists are kind of fun, as long as they are viewed with enough skepticism and not just taken at face value.
The danger lies less in how prospective students will view rankings, and more in whether colleges will start to change their missions and become just job-preparation factories. So far, at least the colleges I know best are remaining solidly grounded in the belief that a meaningful education is of value in and of itself.