Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Encyclopedia
The Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, often abbreviated as PUCRS) is a private non-profit Catholic
university, with three campuses, in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre
, Uruguaiana
, and Viamão
. It is the largest private university of the State of Rio Grande do Sul
and the first university founded anywhere by the Catholic order of the Marist Brothers
.
PUCRS has 22 schools in the Central Campus in Porto Alegre
, 4 schools in the Campus of Uruguaiana
and 4 schools in the Campus of Viamão
. The educational system is organized in courses and programs, which are responsible for undergraduate and graduate
studies, continuing education, extension activities and research.
the university had 25,000 undergraduate student
s, 1,800 postgraduate students, 6,300 masters
students, and 1,400 PhD
students. 130,000 students have graduated over the years. PUCRS offers 55 courses of graduation, 23 of master's degree, 19 of doctorate level, and more than 70 specialty training courses. University facilities include over 200 laboratories
for teaching and research, as well as university hospital
, science
and technology
park
, museum
of sciences and technology, sport
s park
, theater and convention center.
the university had 10 course
s with 5 star
s (Administration, Computer science, Biological sciences, Computer engineering
, History, Dentistry, Education, Psychology, Advertising and Information systems) and 21 with 4 (Urban Architecture
, Aeronautical sciences, Accounting, Social sciences, Law
, Physical Education, Civil engineering
, Control and Automation, Electrical engineering
, Production engineering, Pharmacy, Philosophy
, Physics, Physiotherapy, Journalism, Medicine
, Chemistry, Public relations, Social services and Tourism
). And champion
in two more categories of private institutions in the Guia do Estudante: Computing and Mathematical sciences and Engineering and Production.
The university has won the National Award for Innovative Entrepreneurship, "The Best Technological Park
of the Year:" TECNOPUC (conducted by the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises - Anprotec, Sebrae, Ministry of Science and Technology, Financing of Studies and Projects - FINEP and the National Confederation of Industry - CNI). The Museum of Science and Technology of PUCRS
: The only five star attraction in Porto Alegre, according to the 2010 Guia Quatro Rodas 2010, by Editora Abril
.
The origins of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul date 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, and expanded.
In 1940 the School of Philosophy
, Sciences and Literature opened, 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), the civil entity of the Marist Brothers, requested recognition as a university by the Ministry of Education. On November 9, 1948, these schools became the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Portuguese
Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul). On December 8, 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), who completed Brother Otão's term from 5 February 1978, Brother Norberto Francisco Rauch (1979 to 2004), and Brother Joaquim Clotet from December 2004.
On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII
, by request of the Marist Brothers and Archbishop Dom Vicente Scherer, granted the title of Pontifical
to the University, signaling the Brothers' submission to the Holy See
.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
university, with three campuses, in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, Uruguaiana
Uruguaiana
Uruguaiana is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located on the left-hand shore of the Uruguay River that forms the border with Argentina. Opposite Uruguaiana, and joined to it by a road/railway bridge, lies the Argentine city of Paso de los Libres, Corrientes...
, and Viamão
Viamão
Viamão is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In size it is the largest municipality in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the seventh most populous in the state.The origin of the name Viamão is controversial...
. It is the largest private university of the State of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
and the first university founded anywhere by the Catholic order of the Marist Brothers
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...
.
PUCRS has 22 schools in the Central Campus in Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, 4 schools in the Campus of Uruguaiana
Uruguaiana
Uruguaiana is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located on the left-hand shore of the Uruguay River that forms the border with Argentina. Opposite Uruguaiana, and joined to it by a road/railway bridge, lies the Argentine city of Paso de los Libres, Corrientes...
and 4 schools in the Campus of Viamão
Viamão
Viamão is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In size it is the largest municipality in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the seventh most populous in the state.The origin of the name Viamão is controversial...
. The educational system is organized in courses and programs, which are responsible for undergraduate and graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
studies, continuing education, extension activities and research.
the university had 25,000 undergraduate student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s, 1,800 postgraduate students, 6,300 masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
students, and 1,400 PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
students. 130,000 students have graduated over the years. PUCRS offers 55 courses of graduation, 23 of master's degree, 19 of doctorate level, and more than 70 specialty training courses. University facilities include over 200 laboratories
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
for teaching and research, as well as university hospital
University hospital
A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
of sciences and technology, sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, theater and convention center.
the university had 10 course
Course
Course can refer to:* Course , the path of travel* Course , the principal sail on a mast of a sailing vessel* Course , in the United States, a unit of instruction in one subject, lasting one academic term...
s with 5 star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s (Administration, Computer science, Biological sciences, Computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
, History, Dentistry, Education, Psychology, Advertising and Information systems) and 21 with 4 (Urban Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, Aeronautical sciences, Accounting, Social sciences, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, Physical Education, Civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, Control and Automation, Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, Production engineering, Pharmacy, Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Physics, Physiotherapy, Journalism, Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, Chemistry, Public relations, Social services and Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
). And champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
in two more categories of private institutions in the Guia do Estudante: Computing and Mathematical sciences and Engineering and Production.
The university has won the National Award for Innovative Entrepreneurship, "The Best Technological Park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
of the Year:" TECNOPUC (conducted by the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises - Anprotec, Sebrae, Ministry of Science and Technology, Financing of Studies and Projects - FINEP and the National Confederation of Industry - CNI). The Museum of Science and Technology of PUCRS
Museum of Science and Technology (PUCRS)
The Museum of Science and Technology is a Brazilian museum, located in the city of Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul, on Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Building 40, Parthenon in the neighborhood, near the PUCRS. The visiting hours are from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 9am to 5pm.- Overview :The museum was...
: The only five star attraction in Porto Alegre, according to the 2010 Guia Quatro Rodas 2010, by Editora Abril
Editora Abril
Editora Abril is a major Brazilian publisher and printing company and one of the biggest media holdings in Southern America. The company was founded in 1950 by Victor Civita in São Paulo and is now part of Grupo Abril....
.
History
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...
, the religious congregation founded by Saint Marcellin Champagnat
Marcellin Champagnat
Saint Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat was born in Rozet, village of Marlhes, near St. Etienne , France...
. 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
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and Economic
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
Sciences (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
Faculdade de Ciências Políticas e Econômicas), which started in March 1931 with nine students, under the guidance of Brother Afonso, and expanded.
In 1940 the School of Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Sciences and Literature opened, followed by the School of Social Services, in 1945, and by the School of Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, in 1947. With these four schools, the Southern Brazil Union of Education and Teaching (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
União Sul Brasileira de Educação e Ensino, USBEE), the civil entity of the Marist Brothers, requested recognition as a university by the Ministry of Education. On November 9, 1948, these schools became the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul). On December 8, 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
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
and Brother José Otão as Vice-Rector. The rectors that followed are: Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
Alberto Etges (1951 to 1953), Brother José Otão (José Stefani) (1954 to 1978), Brother Liberato (Wilhelm Hunke), who completed Brother Otão's term from 5 February 1978, Brother Norberto Francisco Rauch (1979 to 2004), and Brother Joaquim Clotet from December 2004.
On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, by request of the Marist Brothers and Archbishop Dom Vicente Scherer, granted the title of Pontifical
Pontifical
Pontifical may refer to the Roman Pontifical, a Roman Catholic liturgical book used by a bishop.When used as an adjective, Pontifical may be used to describe things related to the office of a bishop, such as the following:*Solemn Pontifical Mass...
to the University, signaling the Brothers' submission to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.