Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
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| Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul | |
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| Motto: | Ad Verum Ducit ("Leading the truth") |
| Established: | November 9th, 1947 |
| Type: | Private |
| Endowment: | N/A |
| Rector: | Brother Joaquim Clotet |
| Staff: | 6,197[1] |
| Undergraduates: | 26,424[2] |
| Postgraduates: | 3,634[3] |
| Location: | Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil |
| Campus: | Urban and suburban |
| Website: | www.pucrs.br |
The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Portuguese Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS in shorthand) is the largest private university of Brazil, and is the first university founded by the order of the Marist Brothers[4]. Its main campus is located in Porto Alegre, with two campi in Uruguaiana and Viamão, as well as other minor campi in Porto Alegre[5].
[edit] History
The origins of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul trace back to the arrival in Brazil of the Marist Brothers - the religious congregation founded by Saint Marcellin Champagnat. In 1900, the first Marists arrived at the town of Bom Princípio (RS), following the request of Dom Cláudio José Gonçalves Ponce de Leão, bishop of Rio Grande do Sul. A number of Marists began to come from Europe and started founding schools throughout the region, culminating with the founding of the Nossa Senhora do Rosário School in Porto Alegre. That school eventually hosted college-level courses of accounting, from which the School of Political and Economic Sciences (Portuguese Faculdade de Ciências Políticas e Econômicas), which started in March 1931 with nine students, under the guidance of Brother Afonso.
The project of the Marist Brothers was expanded under the vision of Brother Afonso, with the help of Brother Faustino João and of the lecturers Eloy José da Rocha, Elpídio Ferreira Paes, Salomão Pires Abrahão, Francisco Juruena, Brother José Otão and Antônio César Alves, among others. In 1940, the School of Philosophy, Sciences and Language, followed by the School of Social Services, in 1945, and by the School of Law, in 1947. With these four schools, the Southern Brazil Union of Education and Teaching (Portuguese União Sul Brasileira de Educação e Ensino, USBEE in shorthand), the civil entity of the Marist Brothers, requested the right of found a university to the Ministry of Education.
In November 9th, 1948, these schools became the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Portuguese Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul), the first university founded by the Marist Brothers in the world[6]. In December 8th, 1948, the Archbishop of Porto Alegre and University Chancellor, Dom Vicente Scherer, inaugurated the first administration of the university with Armando Pereira de Câmara as Rector and Brother José Otão as Vice-Rector. The rectors that followed are: Canon Alberto Etges (1951 to 1953), Brother José Otão (José Stefani) (1954 to 1978), Brother Liberato (Wilhelm Hunke), which completed Brother Otão's term (5/2/1978 to 12/29/1978), Brother Norberto Francisco Rauch (1979 a 2004), and Brother Joaquim Clotet from December 2004 until now.
On November 1st, 1950, Pope Pius XII, by request of the Marist Brothers and from Archbishop Dom Vicente Scherer, conceded the title of Pontifical to the University, signaling the Brothers submission to the Holy See.
