Nearly 70% of college presidents believe that at least a moderate amount of disruption is needed in higher education to improve outcomes and the perceived value of higher education, according to a survey conducted by Maguire Associates, Inc. in partnership with The Chronicle of Higher Education and co-sponsored by Blackboard. 

With only 3% of private campus executives agreeing that the higher education system is currently functioning smoothly, the report found that most university presidents and provosts welcome change. When given the options of "evolutionary change" or "disruptive change," two-thirds of all institution leaders surveyed favored massive or moderate disruption. 

The study also revealed that while 60 percent of respondents are optimistic about the direction in which the American higher education system is going, only 30% felt as if the higher education system is currently the best in the world. Surprisingly, this drops to 17 percent when asked about the next decade.

"Years ago, disruption to the higher education business model was not something widely discussed among institutional leaders," said Jay Bhatt, CEO of Blackboard. "Times have changed. This report emphasizes that schools of all types and leaders at all levels are being forced to reevaluate what it means to be relevant. We need a reimagined educational experience that directly connects learners to success. While a challenging time, it is also an exciting one as we work with schools to drastically transform the industry in ways that foster both institutional and student success."