University of Caxias do Sul

The implementation of the first higher education courses in Caxias do Sul took place during the 1950s, a period marked in the history of Brazil due to changes in the economic, social and political field, resulting from the modernization process that the country was going through. Overcoming social problems and economic and cultural backwardness were some of the themes that mobilized organized sectors of society. In the field of education, the universalization of compulsory primary education, the expansion of secondary education and the official policy of encouraging the installation of private higher schools were some of the proposals launched by the state as a way of inserting education in the "developmentalist" effort.

Caxias do Sul was, already in the 1950s, the second metropolis of the state and, like the great urban centers of the country, also lived a period of economic growth and modernization. The city was transformed, the population modernized thoughts and habits, new priorities were set. Among the new social demands was the creation of new teaching options with the implementation of higher education courses to serve young people in the city and the region. At the end of the decade, several entities and personalities in the community were mobilizing to obtain authorization from the federal government to install the first higher education courses in the city.

Founded on February 10, 1967, the University of Caxias do Sul brought together the institutions that supported the first faculties, gathered under the name of Associação Universidade de Caxias do Sul, its main institution. He settled in the building of the former Sacrè Coeur de Marie boarding school, in the Petrópolis neighborhood, where the Rectory currently operates. The main campus occupies an extensive area of this neighborhood and was built in a modernist manner, in the form of isolated blocks implanted in a huge garden, which allowed the Institution's continuous physical expansion.

In 1974, after a period of financial and institutional crisis, the sponsoring Association was transformed into a Foundation - a private non-profit legal entity - in an institutional setting that best represented the community character and the regionalization proposals advocated by the university's founders. The members of the former Association and representatives of the Ministry of Education, the state government, municipalities and community entities participated in the management of the Foundation.

Between the 70s and 90s, the university remained faithful to the ideals of its founders. Practicing a policy of regional action, it took its action to the various municipalities in the region, while promoting integrated actions with other isolated institutions of higher education installed in municipalities in the region. In the late 1970s, students fought for the federalization of the institution, which would never happen.From 1990 onwards, based on the prerogative of university autonomy, the university's regionalization process took a strong boost with the implementation of action strategies that strengthened its community and regional character. New university units were created in regional sub-poles and UCS included the Educational Foundation of the Vinhedos Region, based in Bento Gonçalves and the Pro-Higher Education Association of Campos de Cima da Serra, based in Vacaria.

In 1993, the UCS regionalization project, submitted to Ministry of Education (MEC), received a favorable opinion from the Federal Education Council. In the official document, the reporter's words summed up the sentiment of all those who, over the years, had embraced the cause of UCS regionalization and endorsed a commitment made by the leaders who advocated a University for the Region. He said: "Time has taught that the sum of forces is the best option, now in the form of a Regional University. It appears, therefore, that Regionalization, so dreamed and pursued, arrives at the right time; at the full maturity of the participating institutions; in the perpetual joviality of those who launch themselves and persevere in art and science to promote human people through education ".

In 2010, it was considered by the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research to be the second best private university in Brazil, surpassed only by the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. For several years, the institution has stood out as one of the main private universities in Brazil

Today, the University of Caxias do Sul is already an essential part of the regional development project and seeks, through continuous qualification and incentives to university students, to grow and consolidate its presence in the national and international university panorama.

CETEC is a high school and professional school, maintained by Fundação Universidade de Caxias do Sul, with teaching units in Caxias do Sul (headquarters) and Bento Gonçalves.

Created in 1995, under the seal of a higher education institution, CETEC has been working to consolidate itself as an institution of excellence in youth education, through an educational proposal that combines a solid base of general education with training for youth. work, integrating quality high school and technical courses, which both prepare young people to enter university, and enable them to start a professional activity in the technical area.

In order to materialize its educational proposal, CETEC follows a philosophical guideline and a curriculum specially designed for the contemporary youth, who is in search of knowledge, skills and intellectual and ethical autonomy and who therefore needs guidance, encouragement and support to carry out with this stage of your training.

At CETEC, young people are challenged to exploit their ability to learn as much as possible, prioritizing study and research in their learning process. You are encouraged to develop your personal, intellectual and social skills, taking responsibility for your training process. He is provoked to investigate, analyze and propose, having as a reference a code of ethical principles and values. He is encouraged to interact and collectively build ideas, projects and knowledge, learning to respect differences and to value the common good. He is guided and supported to assume responsibilities and plan his path towards maturity, building his identity, becoming a citizen prepared to intervene in a positive and transforming way in society.