Personally just prefer to extend FIRST into MakerSpaces.
As a friendly competition not armed robot combat.
Why limit it to colleges?
Besides MakerSpaces completely remove the limitations on what the community can do with the tools.
Build FIRST robots.
Build wall clocks.
What's the difference as long as you are learning something and being constructive?
Take for example: NextFAB
http://www.nextfab.com/about/history
"Dr. Malone aspires to reinvigorate American manufacturing by putting the latest computer-aided design and advanced manufacturing technologies in the hands of innovative individuals and organizations, with the training, support, and friendly expert consultants necessary to help turn ideas into products, and products into businesses."
Seems a compatible goal.
Learn how to build the robot.
Learn how to use the shop.
Learn much more than building a robot (sounds familiar).
Imagine the value of FIRST if you continued to have access to what you used to be build that robot?