The Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás (Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, or PUC-Goiás) is a private and non-profit Pontifical catholic university, located in Goiânia (headquarters) and Ipameri, is the first university of the State of Goiás. It is maintained by the Catholic Archdiocese of Goiânia. ounded on October 19, 1961, by the Sociedade Goiana de Cultura, a non-profit foundation maintained by the Catholic Archdiocese of Goiânia, PUC Goiás is the oldest higher education institution of the state and of the Central-Western region, preceding by two months the foundation of UFG. According to INEP. In 2009, Polish Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, 69, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Vatican visited the university. The visit is in honor of 50 years existence of the university.