Institute of Politics (IOP) Director Richard L. Thornburgh in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday rallied to the side of Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert H. Bork, calling him "a man of personal integrity."

Thornburgh, the former two-term Republican governor of Pennsylvania, was one in a panel of four former Justice Department officials who testified yesterday in Bork's favor as the Senate entered its third week of confirmation hearings.

"I came to know Bob Bork as an extremely able and intelligent lawyer," Thornburgh said, reading mostly from a prepared statement. "I also came to know Bob Bork to be a man of personal integrity and a man of commitment to the rule of law."

Thornburgh, who worked under Bork in the Justice Department from 1975 to 1977 in the Ford Administration, defended Bork as "a staunch believer in our Constitutional system" and predicted the judge "would be a distinguished member of the Supreme Court."

President Reagan this summer nominated the conservative jurist to replace retiring Justice Louis F. Powell, who had been the Court's swing vote in many key cases. Liberal organizations are working to prevent Bork's confirmation, charging he will circumvent crucial civil rights decisions and set back the clock of progress.

Thornburgh, who served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Criminal Division under Bork, called the nominee a strong supporter of effective law enforcement and a man committed to ensuring high standards in government.

"[Bork believes in] the protection of what I regard the first civil right of all Americans--the right to be safe from fear of violent crime in their homes, in their streets and in their communities," said Thornburgh, who has formed a committee to explore the possibility of his running for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination.

Thornburgh, who was appointed IOP director last June, also has been considered for several positions in the Reagan Administration, including director of the FBI.

When Thornburgh was introduced to the Senate Judiciary Committee, no reference was made to his Kennedy School post.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D.-Mass.) ammendedthe omission by adding that Thornburgh "iscurrently the director of the John F. KennedyInstitute of Politics where I enjoy working withhim and he is doing an outstanding job."

Also testifying yesterday were former SenatorThomas Eagleton, former Attorney General GriffinBell, and several lawyers and law professors