PRESIDENT Derek C. Bok deserves praise for his decision last week to appoint Professor of Government Robert D. Putnam as new Dean of the Kennedy School of Government. The decision shows the president's commitment to redefine the mission of the school.

The appointment sends a strong and needed message to the academic world. Putnam, a highly respected scholar and former chairman of Harvard's Government Department, is expected to bring a new emphasis on scholarship and ethical standards to the school.

In recent years, the Kennedy School has drawn increasing criticism from both insiders and outsiders for its heavy emphasis on media attention and money instead of on scholarship.

Dean Graham T. Allison '62, who has led the school through a period of unprecedented growth, has been sharply criticized. During his 12-year tenure, Allison has worked with Bok to increase the school's endowment from $20 million to more than $150 million. During that time, the school has also built three buildings and more than tripled the number of degree candidates.

But while Allison's fundraising ability was greatly needed to increase the school's stature in the late 1970's, in recent years Allison's ethics and his academic leadership have been increasingly questioned.

In 1984, Allison offered a medal for "distinguished public service" to then-Attorney General Edwin Meese in order to induce the cabinet member to speak at the Kennedy School. The move was sharply criticized in all quarters of the University.

Last year it was revealed that Allison had offered a Texas couple "officer of the University" status in exchange for a $500,000 donation. When the gift was made public and its ethical standard questioned, Allison admitted that such practices do not "meet my own standards or the standards of the University."

The emphasis on fundraising has also resulted in the school's speedy but disorganized academic growth. While the school has successfully attracted big-name politicos like Massachusetts Governor Michael S. Dukakis, it has acquired an increasingly negative reputation for producing technocrats who lack a firm grounding in governmental theory.

Others question Allison's commitment to hiring minority and women faculty members. Though Allison says appointing a minority or woman faculty member will be one of his top priorities before he leaves in July, there are currently only one woman and one minority member who have received tenure, though the school has greatly increased the size of its faculty.

PUTNAM'S appointment should change all that. Colleagues from the Government Department praise Putnam's commitment to moral integrity. "His most outstanding characteristic is his intense interest in doing what is right and what is fair," said Littauer Professor of Political Economy Thomas C. Schelling.

Putnam's past scholarship should also help him consolidate the curriculum and guide the school in a more academic direction. Putnam is a renowned expert on political elites and Italian regional politics. His expertise landed him a job on the National Security Council during the Carter Administration.

His previous position in the Government Department should also benefit the School by helping to close the rift that has developed between FAS professors and the Kennedy School faculty. Both schools would benefit from a closer relationship that would enhance cooperation and advance scholarship.

In addition, Putnam's work in the Government Department demonstrates his ability to address and correct for the lack of minority faculty. Bok and others praise Putnam's energetic efforts to recruit minority faculty, and Kennedy School Student Government leaders reacted favorably to Putnam's recent speech in which he said diversity would be a top priority.

Most agree that Putnam's outsider status will not affect his ability to accomplish these goals. Bok and colleagues say that Putnam's energy and his willingness to listen to faculty and student concerns will quickly help him become acquainted with the school's inner workings.

Putnam seems to have all the requisite ingredients for the deanship. If his qualifications translate into action, as it seems they will, the Kennedy School should prosper under his leadership well into the next decade.

The new dean himself summed up the contribution he can make to the Kennedy School when he said last week that he wanted the school to embody the spirit of the late president John F. Kennedy '40: "I'd like to contribute in any small way to rekindling that spirit of public service."