Institutional Profile
THE INSTITUTION
The Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, supported by União Brasileira de Educação e Assistência (UBEA), is a higher education, research and extension institution constituted by several units (schools, institutes, peripheral units), which promotes professional and scientific training of at higher education level, as well as the development of theoretical and practical research in the main areas of knowledge, storage and dissemination of results and the promotion of extension and community activities.
PUCRS is among the most traditional higher education institutions in Brazil. Its cornerstone was the Higher Education Course in Business Administration and Finance, established in March 1931. Its recognition as a university came on November 9, 1948.
A private nonprofit entity, PUCRS is a Catholic confessional institution for the welfare of its surrounding community, having the Archbishop of Porto Alegre as its Chancellor. The title of Pontifícia, granted in 1950, marks its union and filial devotion to the Holy See. It is physically constituted by its Main Campus, in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, and by another unit in Viamão, in the Metropolitan Region.
In 65 years, the University has graduated over 150 thousand students, being recognized by the Ministry of Education as the main private education institution of the South Region and ranking third among undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs in Brazil.
Dom Jaime Spengler
Chancellor
Joaquim Clotet
President
Evilázio Teixeira
Senior Vice-President
Mágda Rodrigues da Cunha
Vice-President for Academics
Jorge Luis Nicolas Audy
Vice-President for Research, Innovation, and Development
Sergio Luiz Lessa de Gusmão
Vice-President of Extension and Community Affairs
Ricardo Melo Bastos
Vice-President of Administration and Finances
SÃO LUCAS HOSPITAL
Located on PUCRS Campus, the São Lucas Hospital (HSL) initiated its activities in 1976 with the mission to develop activities of care, education and research in health. The pursuit of excellence, with synergies between these three lines of action, has allowed the HSL, in its 37 years of existence, to keep up-to-date with the most modern equipment, technologies and management. The HSL is a philanthropic general hospital which cares for pediatric and adult patients, including virtually all medical specialties. Around 18,000 people are treated daily at PUCRS São Lucas Hospital..
STRATEGIC PLAN
Mission
Based on human rights, on the principles of Christianity, and on the tradition of Marist education, the Mission of PUCRS is to produce and disseminate knowledge and promote human and professional development, driven by quality and relevance, with the objective of developing a just and fraternal society.
Vision
In 2015, PUCRS will be reference at both national and international levels for the quality of the education it offers and for the relevance of its research, committed to innovation and sustainable development, thus promoting the holistic education of students and contributing to scientific, cultural, social and economic development.
Management Principles
• Quality with sustainability;
• Innovation and entrepreneurship;
• Integration of education, research, and extension;
• Social responsibility and solidarity action;
• Relationship with society.
Strategic Objectives
In this Social Report, these icons are next to initiatives aligned with the strategic objectives in the Strategic Plan of the University.
EDUCATION
RESEARCH and INNOVATION
COMMUNITY ACTIONS & EXTENSION
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENT
2014
ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2013
January
Prize Campeãs da Inovação, awarded by the Amanhã magazine, in the category Education. In the category General, the University ranked 9th.
March
op of mind and preference among the population of Rio Grande do Sul in the 2013 survey Marcas de Quem Decide, carried out by Jornal do Comércio, in the category Private Higher Education. It is also among the five most remembered and preferred brands in the category Graduate Education.
May
The University ranks 41st among the 300 best universities in Latin America, 2nd in Rio Grande do Sul, and 14th in Brazil. The list was published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
September
In the 2013 University Ranking of Folha de São Paulo (RUF), PUCRS appears as the 2nd best private University in Brazil and the 1st in Rio Grande do Sul. The best performance of the Institution in national rankings is in the category Innovation, in which it is the best private university and number 11 in the general ranking. In the state, it also leads in the categories Education and Internationalization in the private segment.
November
The project Simulação Computacional de Multidões: Prevendo e Evitando Desastres (Computer-Generated Crowd Simulation: Preventing and Avoiding Disasters), developed by the team of Dr. Soraia Raupp Musse, a professor at PUCRS School of Computer Science, wins the Santander Science and Innovation award, in the category Information Technology, Communication and Education.
February
PUCRS is the first private university in Brazil to appear on the Webometrics ranking, prepared by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), a Spanish governmental institution dedicated to fostering scientific and technological research. In this ranking, PUCRS is the 16th university in Brazil and ranks 621st worldwide. In Rio Grande do Sul, it ranks 2nd.
April
First university in Latin America to appear on the Greenmetric Ranking of World Universities, in the Energy and Climate Change category. The ranking, prepared by the University of Indonesia, compares the efforts of educational institutions on themes of sustainability and environmental management on their campi. In the same category, PUCRS is the 20th in the ranking for the Americas and ranks 82nd worldwide.
July
PUCRS’ Science and Technology Museum (MCT) was chosen the 10th best museum in Brazil in the 2013 Travellers' Choice™ award, being the only science museum in the South of Brazil to appear on the list. The award is given annually, based on opinions of travelers using the Tripadvisor website, which is considered the greatest travel website in the world, with over 60 million evaluations and opinions.
October
2013 Top Cidadania award received from the Brazilian Association of Human Resources – Rio Grande do Sul (ABRH/RS), for its project Serviço de Convivência e Fortalecimento de Vínculos Show de Bola (Show de Bola Coexistence and Relationship Strengthening Service).
December
Best private University in the South of Brazil and 3rd in the country according to the 2012 General Index of Courses (IGC) of the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC), which evaluates the quality of undergraduate, master’s and doctorate programs. The result takes into account items related to student performance, infrastructure of the institution, didactic-pedagogical organization, and faculty.