There is an increasing interest by government in accountability for higher education. Efforts such as performance budgeting, performance auditing, and state review of academic programs are becoming more common. Opponents of government involvement assert that regional accreditation reviews are sufficient to maintain quality standards. However, critics of the current accreditation process contend that it is an ingrown process in which denial of accreditation is virtually impossible. Some observers feel that the best way to guard against an increased state role in higher education is for the institutions themselves to strengthen their own evaluation activities. Self-evaluations should be comprehensive, include broad participation, and be designed to enhance program quality. Both quantitative and qualitative data should be included. The findings should be submitted to an external consultant for review. Conclusions should be made public so that the community can see that the institution is concerned about quality, that its efforts are worthy of public funding, and that state evaluators are unnecessary. This document includes a 17-item bibliography and an order form for related research reports available from the Association for Study of Higher Education including the full report upon which this summary is based. (DC)