A fund-raising executive at a major Texas university has been named vice president for external affairs at Mississippi State University.

Prescott

Dennis A. Prescott, assistant vice president for development at the Texas A&M Foundation, assumed his duties in mid-March.

The external affairs vice president provides leadership for the university's programs in fund raising, alumni relations, communications and marketing, government relations, and television production.

"Dennis Prescott brings to this position the energy, experience, and fund-raising expertise to help us significantly boost the university's level of private support," said President Malcolm Portera.

Prescott was responsible for early-stage planning on Texas A&M's second comprehensive fund-raising campaign. He served as deputy director of that university's "Capturing the Spirit" campaign, a five-year fund-raising drive that ended in 1996 and raised $637 million.

At Texas A&M, he also served as director of major gifts and director of development for the George Bush Presidential Library Center.

Prescott is a frequent presenter for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, an international association of education advancement officers.

He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's in educational human resource development, both from Texas A&M.

Mississippi State has averaged more than $23 million annually in private gifts over the past five years. The university's endowment stands at more than $150 million and a campaign to increase the scholarship portion of the endowment by $20 to $25 million is in its early stages.