A year ago, Dean of the Kennedy School Albert Carnesale donned a second hat as University provost.

Last fall, he took on a third: a three-month tenure as acting president.

When President Neil L. Rudenstine returned from a medical leave in February, Carnesale returned to his post as provost.

Although it has been nearly a year since Carnesale began shuttling back and forth between his Massachusetts Hall office and his Kennedy School of Government office, university officials still have not found a new dean to replace him.

Professor commend Carnesale's efforts in carrying out both jobs.

"I think Al Carnesale has done a remarkable job of simultaneously fulfilling his roles as dean of the Kennedy School and provost of the University," said Roger B. Porter, IBM professor of business and government.

Last spring, Kennedy School professors lamented Carnesale's impending exit, which many predicted would continue a pattern of instability.

Carnesale, who was appointed dean of the Kennedy School in 1991, is the third administrator named to head the school since 1990.

"I think it is a problem when leadership in any of the schools turns over that rapidly," Whitehead Professor of Political Philosophy Dennis F. Thompson said at the time.

"Particularly in a school like the Kennedy School, that's still defining its identity," Thompson added.

Professors credited Carnesale with turning the school around. Prior to Carnesale's leadership, the faculty was divided and directionless--plagued by low morale and a lack of a unifying vision, consequences of an expansion in the 1980s that occurred too rapidly.

By continuing in his position as dean, Carnesale has managed to keep the ship on course, professor say.

"We've done some remarkable things this year, particularly in the area of faculty appointments," Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment Robert Z. Lawrence said yesterday. "We've had more achievement this year than in the history of the school."

"[Carnesale] has been intimately involved in the school's activities, particularly as they relate to the search for new faculty, which is at the heart of a dean's job," Porter said.

"[Carnesale] has also been accessi- ble to faculty and students and has maintaineda good deal of contact and involvement with theschool despite the demands on his time infulfilling his responsibilities as provost," hesaid.

But professors estimate that Carnesale spendsless than a third of his time at the KennedySchool.

"You can't measure my participation simply byhow many hours I spend at the school," Carnesalesaid yesterday. "I tend to work out of my officeat Massachusetts Hall."

He said that he spent considerably less time atthe Kennedy School during the three months heserved as acting president, but he is now spendingmore time there as the end of the academic yearapproaches.

Carnesale chairs faculty meetings, but much ofthe day-to-day running of the school has beenturned over to various other administrators.

Carnesale said that the schoolh has risen tothe demands of living under a part-time dean.

"In this period the people at the KennedySchool--faculty, staff and students--haveunderstood the reasons for my not being able to bethere full time," the provost said. "They havesimply raised the levels of responsibility theytake upon themselves. People have just beenterrific."

But nonetheless, professors would like to seean appointment made soon.

"It's time we had...sustained leadership,"Lawrence said. "It's not a permanent, sustainablestate. No one denies it would be much better if wehad a [permanent appointment]."

Carnesale himself acknowledges that thesituation cannot continue for an extended periodwithout negatively impacting the school.

"Obviously you can't go for an indefiniteperiod without a dean," Carnesale said yesterday.

"Going on and living up to full potential aretwo different things," Lawrence said. "Like achicken without a head, it could keep running."

New faculty members need to have more contactwith the dean, the professor said.

"There are lots of decisions," Lawrence said.[New professors] need to believe they haveimplicit and explicit contracts with the dean.That's hard for a temporary dean.