Prominent Scholar and Community Leader Professor Dr Zia Hassan Passes Away
Dr. A. Khan
Chicago, IL

 

Dr Zia Hasan, Chairman of Islamic Foundation, Villa Park, Illinois, passed away on Sunday October 29, 2017 in Chicago.Dr Hasan served as a Professor and Dean Emeritus of Stuart School of Business (IIT) Chicago, Illinois.
Dr Zia Hassan migrated to the United States in 1956 after receiving his Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Punjab, Pakistan. He completed his Master's (1958) and PhD (1965) both in Industrial Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago.
Dr. Hassan started his academic career by serving as a lecturer at IIT in the early 1960's and worked his way up the ranks of becoming a Professor of Management Science. Since 2002, he served as Dean Emeritus and Professor of Management Science and director of doctoral program at Stuart School of Business, IIT. He supervised the faculty and staff of 40 and managed a budget of $8 million.
Dr Hassan primarily taught in the areas of business policy and quality management. His research focused on effective organizations, and on strategic and quality issues in organizations. He published and presented many papers at professional conferences. He co-authored Basic Programs for Production and Operations Management, and wrote the chapter "Design of Interrelated Manufacturing and Quality Systems" in Manufacturing High Technology Handbook.
Dr Zia Hassan was a soft spoken and humble person. He excelled in his volunteer work for the community. He was one of the founding members and the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Islamic Foundation, Villa Park, IL, a non-profit organization founded in 1974. Since its inception, Islamic Foundation has been serving the western suburban communities of Chicago.
Dr Hasan served as Chairman of the Islamic Foundation for more than forty years. During his tenure, Islamic Foundation grew from a small weekend religious school to one of the largest Islamic centers in the United States that houses a large Mosque, a regular full-time school (K-12) and a weekend school.
Dr Hassan was a Fellow of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and served as an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. He was 84.He is survived by his wife Dr Shakeela Hassan, three daughters and five grandchildren.