On Jan. 9, 2018, Jeri Prescott presented the James R. Prescott Scholarship in Economics to graduate students Ginger Zehui Jiang and Pichittra Prapassornmanu at a reception in Heady Hall. Professor Rajesh Singh accepted the award for Prapassornmanu, who was out of the country. Prescott presented the award to Prapassornmanu in April (Lower photo). See photos.
Established by former Emeritus Professor James R. Prescott and his wife Jeri Prescott, the scholarship fund annually recognizes two to three graduate students who demonstrate creativity in their research. Prescott wanted students to have the chance to take on creative opportunities that might not normally be accessible to them.
Prescott came to Iowa State to teach in the economics and statistics departments in 1963. He enjoyed working with students and especially liked his interactions with graduate students. Prescott published many books and papers in the area of urban and regional economics and taught a wide variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also taught one year each at UCLA and Temple University, and worked in several foreign countries, including Peru, Zambia, Iran, and Guatemala.
