The Joe and Gina Prochaska Family Endowed Collection in The American Dream was established in 2007.  Joe (’73), an Irish Angel, is a member of the Hesburgh Libraries Advisory Council. He and Gina, members of the Badin Guild and the Sorin Society, were blessed with three children: Jim, Mike, and Tracy (’02).

The Prochaska Endowment has made it possible for the Libraries to support both student and faculty research and studies related to the social sciences. The Division of the Social Sciences exemplifies the University’s commitment to justice, democracy, and the revitalization of communities and families, especially in service to the poor and oppressed. The Prochaska American Dream Collection directly supports undergraduate and graduate student research, interdisciplinary studies, and the advancement of knowledge in all areas related to the social sciences as they relate to the United States.

The current collection includes not only volumes and journals, but the recent addition of a large collection of unique primary documents (letters, maps, personal papers) related to the American West. In addition, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, a fundamental online reference source for psychologists, is now accessible online.

The Prochaskas have also endowed the Joe and Gina Prochaska Family Teaching Award, the Prochaska Family Endowment for Excellence in Accountancy, the Prochaska Family Arts and Letters American Dream Student Research Grants, and the Prochaska Family Endowment for Excellence for the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning.