While I agree that ‘Noncommercial’ is a license that should be avoided for academically useful material by default, there are some cases (and I am not necessarily arguing that this is or is not one) where material is so potentially valuable in a commercial context–to the gaming industry, for example, or as advertising items. In some of these cases, an education or non-profit institution might be justified in trying to recoup some of their costs in the case that a very rich industry might make some serious money with their materials. (Noncommercial can always still be waived, it just has not been in advance.)

None of this is to undercut the seriousness of your objections, however.