The use of behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) as the basis of an assessment system that was designed to improve academic department chairpersons in a college of arts and sciences is described. Twenty-eight faculty members, two from each department, were asked to identify evaluative dimensions for assessing chairperson performance and to provide critical/behavioral incidents that would demonstrate poor, adequate, and good performance on each of the 11 dimensions. After review by a panel, 236 incidents were identified and were rewritten into an expectations format. Forty-two faculty were asked to make two judgments for the list of items. The first judgment required categorization of the 245 items into 11 performance dimensions. The second judgment required placement of each item on a seven-point scale based on the level of performance indicated. Seven scales that were generated were distributed to all faculty of 14 academic departments to generate primary information for a chairperson performance assessment. System application and examination of behaviorally anchored rating scale results, interviews with faculty and key administrative staff, and self-reports of chairpersons will be components of the chairperson performance assessment. Perspectives on administrative performance evaluation and features of BARS are also considered. It is suggested that the generation of BARS itself helps to clarify goals, and that its participative and collaborative characteristics help to ensure that values of the collegial body are being considered. A bibliography is appended. (SW)