Accreditation has a rich history that has shaped its purposes and processes.

American regional accreditation 1 serves two basic functions: quality assurance and quality improvement. Through its public function of quality assurance, accreditation signals to prospective students, parents, employers, and others that the institution meets fundamental standards of quality. Through its private function of quality improvement, accreditation supplies institutions with a useful engine to foster improvement. In this chapter, we discuss the traditional role of institutional research in an institution' s preparation for accreditation-a role most aligned with the quality assurance function of accreditation-and suggest two new dimensions to strengthen the role of the institutional research office that are more aligned with the quality improvement function of accreditation. For the traditional role and new dimensions, we suggest specific action steps for the institutional researcher.We write from a basic premise: the self-study for accreditation offers opportunities for the institutional research office to advance its basic function and for presidents and provosts to increase the ability of the institution to use and rely on evidence and data for institutional improvement. Here are the suggestions.

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