ORSA President, 1956
Russel Ackoff was the 5th President of ORSA. at which time he was director and professor of operations research at the Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University). He was awarded the George E. Kimball Medal by ORSA in 1975 for his contributions to the profession and the Society. Dr. Ackoff continued to remain active after a long and illustrious career.
Between 1964 and 1986, he chaired the Wharton School’s Departments of Statistics and Operations Research and Social Systems Sciences, and directed its Management Science Center and the Busch Center. When he retired, he was the Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science at The Wharton School,
Over the years, Dr. Ackoff’s dynamic and innovative techniques helped numerous organizations and government agencies meet their strategic planning and systems design challenges. His work in research, consulting and education involved more than 250 corporations and 50 governmental agencies in the U.S. and abroad. He has authored or co-authored 20 books and published over 200 articles in a wide variety of journals.
In 1957, his book Introduction to Operations Research, co-authored with C. West Churchman and Leonard Arnoff, appeared as a pioneering text that helped define the field. Dr. Ackoff’s other books include: Redesigning the Future, The Art of Problem Solving, Creating the Corporate Future, Revitalizing Western Economies, Management in Small Doses, and The Democratic Corporation.
Dr. Ackoff was inducted into the IFORS Operational Research Hall of Fame in 2005.
Professor Ackoff died in 2010.
B.Architecture, 1941; PhD (philosophy of science), University of Pennsylvania; six honorary degrees including Sc D. (Hon.) 1967, University of Lancaster (UK).