It has been said that modern universities see students as customers. I'm starting to think some universities see students as products, or raw materials, fruit to be squeezed for juice and then thrown aside once all value is extracted from them.

They view the parents and guardians as customers mostly where undergrad is concerned. So I think your take on the students is correct

I mean this is the tech start up model of customers/products and it absolutely scans.

Modern school boards are also training and ordering teachers to see parents as “customers”, which is more horrifying

And by value, we mean that when their Pell entitlement and Direct Loan lifetime limits have been reached. All gone? Thanks for the business, and remember to pay those loans back (not that you have a choice since your wages will be garnished in any W2 job if you're missing payments).

They're increasingly investment/real estate firms that also sometimes teach students.