The School of Systems and Enterprises (SSE) mourns the unexpected passing of Colonel Robert Powell, the first Ph.D. graduate of the Systems Engineering Program at Stevens Institute of Technology, who died on Monday, June 9, 2008.

Colonel Powell was an Assistant Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Systems Engineering Professor at the USMA- West Point. He was known for his kindness and sincerity, and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife Lita, his sons Christopher and Christian, and his daughters Christiana and Christy.

Colonel Powell received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University and served in the Army as an Air Defense Artillery and Ordnance officer. He received a Master of Science degree in Operations Research/Management Science from George Mason University, after which he went on to complete a Master in Military Art and Science degree from the United States Army Command and General Staff College. In 2002, he was the first Candidate to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Systems Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, for his dissertation entitled “A Definition of High-Level Decisions in the Engineering of Systems.”

As a USMA Professor in the Department of Systems Engineering, Colonel Powell was the first Program Director for a new major in Systems Management. He also was an author of several scholarly works, as well as serving as a contributing author to the department textbook, Decision Making in Systems Engineering and Management. He was in the process of finalizing a new book on decision making for project managers. Colonel Powell was a mentor and inspiration within the Army community, as well as a leader in his Christian community at the Grace Baptist Church of Highland Falls, NY.