What is institutional research (IR)? One of the most widely definition of the institutional research is by Joe Saupe, who emphasized institutional research as a set of activities that support institutional planning, policy formation, and decision making. Institutional researchers and IR functions are embedded in the offices of strategic planning, institutional management, assessment, evaluation, budget analysis, enrollment management, enrollment research, and planning. It is important to recognize that IR is not necessarily limited to colleges and universities. Foundations, government bureaus, state education departments, and research-oriented organizations are increasingly hiring people with training in institutional research. In this article, the author takes a look at how the role of IR has changed over time. The author also distinguishes the differences among the five faces of institutional research. (Contains 11 figures.)