To me, this is not surprising at all, and in fact, makes perfect sense. A college degree is a product, and schools already spend millions marketing and promoting the university. Anyone with a young teenanger knows that your mailbox begins to get assaulted during a high school kid's SOPHOMORE year, with expensive color brochures touting a university. "Admission counselors" are so structured that they divide the United States in sections, and in the highest concentration of applicant areas, know each high school guidance counselor personally to stay on their radar to guide students to apply. Schools routinely tout their academic accomplishments, and the university alumni magazine is not only used to keep former students informed, but also to keep them engaged and contributing, as well as proclaiming accomplishments of the school, faculty, alumni, and students. Athletic programs wouldn't have 1/10th their value at D1 schools, if they weren't used to attract students to the school. Older Alumni at Georgetown seriously thank Patrick Ewing for elevating the school's academic status.
Spending $1-$2 million on marketing personnel for a school that can generates $50,000 per year from each of 20,000 students is chump change.
An education guarantees nothing - not even knowledge and job skills for students. They are attainable with hard work and good choices of reoutable programs, but, let the buyer beware.
