Recent trends indicate the increasing concern regarding the broad issue of accountability at institutions of higher education. Because of this, colleges and universities are being forced more and more to base their decisions on hard fact instead of intuition. The institutional research function is instrumental in assisting in this kind of data collection and analysis. To determine the extent to which predominantly Black colleges were fulfilling this function, a questionnaire was devised to solicit information regarding institutional activities and products at the predominantly Black colleges. An assessment of the institutional research activities and products at these colleges suggest that the growing complexities of management and the societal pressures for a greater degree of accountability in the last two decades serves as a mandate and as an impetus to organize and synthesize data that supports the existence of these insitutions. This trend is in keeping with the national and local questions raised as to the quality and legitimacy of higher education in general. (Author/KE)