Why Not Get Out of the Email Business?

John Mayer, Executive Director of CALI, asks tonight in an email to the teknoids listserv:

http://www.imagine-wl.com/Education/

Free email hosting for universities, alums - potentially for life.

I understand that Google has a somewhat similar deal, but you get to
specify the domain...

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/big-mail-on-campus.html

So why should universities be in the email business at all?

Any thoughts?