$186,000, the value of your degree?

Flipping through The Economist on a recent BART commute back to Berkeley I came across an interesting piece on the value of a college degree: $186,000!  Yes, this figure does account for the costs of obtaining the degree.  There is a separate calculation on the value to tax payers along with other nuances.  Another reason for citizens to support Pell Grants.  The OECD did the study using a methodology similar to the one I used in the case study of ZeroDivide's investment in Change Agent.  Folks (or wonks like me) interested in social return on investment, or scholarships and education should check out the original OECD piece.  

Armed with this knowledge, I can't decide which is the tougher or more frustrating case, convincing a certain family member to return to finish their degree or getting California to stop its steep divestiture in the world class, but imperiled, UC system.  Yes, the The Economist had a piece on the UC situation too.