A newly organized small college model for a decentralized institutional research office was described and evaluated. Using Hearn and Corcoran's six external or organizational forces (external environment, personalities or individual interests, management styles, power arrangements, microcomputing and telecommunications, and structural and procedural arrangements) a small private liberal arts college in the Southeastern United States adopted a 2-year comprehensive assessment model to measure the effectiveness of the educational program. Year One activities included seven research goals and eight procedural goals. Year Two activities involved assessment of Year One's goals and the establishment of more sophisticated Year Two goals. It appeared that two channels of activity contributed to the proliferation of institutional research activities of which the newly-organized research office was one. However, the needs of the institution were not completely met by this office and so it was found that department chairs and academic area directors offered an alternative and supporting channel of activity. The outcome showed that the research effort had moved in two years from a position of engaging in almost no centralized empirical study to one of widespread involvement. The paper offers 12 references and 1 table. (JB)