Universities as Trade Schools: What is to be done?

I was watching a TV commercial for some university or other a day or two ago -- a commercial that did nothing more but trumpet the awesome industry jobs some of its graduates have obtained -- and the following thought occurred to me: universities seem to be increasingly treated as little more than trade schools.

This, in itself, is hardly an original thought, I know. Given the levels of persistent high unemployment and budget cuts that have only worsened since the beginning of the "Great Recession", it is natural enough for ordinary people, and universities, to focus on jobs. And it is natural enough for those of us who think that universities should be about much more than this -- particularly those of us who think that education in the humanities is important not only (A) for its own sake and (B) for the sake of creating better citizens, but actually, but also for (C) producing creative people who make entire industries (last I checked, J.K. Rowling created more jobs than any investment banker by writing a few books) -- to bemoan this trend.

But although none of this is particularly original, none of this obviates the importance of discussing it and searching for solutions. This letter strikes me as a good start (many thanks to John Protevi for drawing it to my attention). So does Martha Nussbaum's recent book. But what, if anything, can/should we -- the rest of us -- do?