The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul), often abbreviated as PUCRS, is a private non-profit Catholic university. With campuses in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre and Viamão, it is the largest private university of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and the first university founded by the Catholic religious institute of the Marist Brothers. 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 (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