VIA Vancouver Institute for the Americas (1998–2007) was a Canadian organization of higher education that operated under the umbrella of the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia Vancouver, dedicated to the research and project implementation of education for sustainable development centered in the academic integration of the Americas, under the guidance of the International Bureau of Education.VIA operated from its main training center located at 470 Granville Street,VIA map locator https://www.mapquest.com/canada/british-columbia/business-vancouver/via-institute-for-the-americas-359630278 Vancouver, in the province of British Columbia, and from its southern regional training center located at Las Condes, in Santiago, Chile. VIA was an organization incorporated in British Columbia, with a subsidiary registered in Santiago. VIA was an institute registered at the Ministry of Advanced Education of British Columbia as a provider of higher private education,BC Registered Private Education Provider – https://web.archive.org/web/20130531214446/http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/studentaidbc/ StudentAid BC – Ministry of Advanced Education – Province of British Columbia allowing it to provide accredited certifications and its programs qualified for provincial financial assistance and Canadian government scholarship programs.

Creation

In 1998, the University of British Columbia (UBC) professor Paz ButtedahlButtedahl, Paz G. (Paz Goycoolea), 1942–2007, From the USA Library of Congress Name Authority File, http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86822719.htm launched an academic organization dedicated to the vocational and professional development of educators across the Americas. Paz's aim was centered in Education for Sustainable Development, giving the vision for the creation of VIA Vancouver Institute for the Americas. Sustainability in Education,Dependency theory applied to education: a case study of education in Colombia, 1980 by Paz Buttedahl, Thesis--Florida State University. Sources:LCNACO| https://isni.oclc.org/cbs/DB=1.2//CMD?ACT=SRCH&IKT=8006&TRM=ISN%3A000000002843619X&TERMS_OF_USE_AGREED=Y&terms_of_use_agree=send&COOKIE=U50,KENDUSER,I28,B0028++++++,SY,NISNI,D1.2,Ea2676681-66,A,H1,,3-28,,30-41,,43-59,,65-70,,74-75,R147.194.67.131,FY The main office was initially located at the Faculty of Education on the University of British Columbia's main campus in Point Grey, Vancouver; while collaborating with the Vancouver Institute, Global Reporting Centre, that has brought the University of British Columbia and Vancouver community together through free public lectures since 1916.Vancouver Institute, Global Reporting Centre, BC. https://globalreportingcentre.org/vancouver-institute/

The founding team was composed of faculty members and research students, until VIA's provincial incorporation and business licensing, then Paz Buttedahl selected a corporate team of field experts led by: Dra. Paz Buttedahl,Paz Buttedahl, Obituario 2007 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/vancouversun/obituary.aspx?pid=96058546 President; Prof. Dr. Knute ButtedahlJump up ^ Knute Buttedahl Memorial Lectures, UBC – http://las.arts.ubc.ca/2011/new-event-added-to-theidon-visit/ VP and Chief Financial Officer (CFO); Prof. Vito de Candia-Levieux,Vito de Candia-Levieux – UBC Modern Languages Department, https://ubc.academia.edu/VitoDeCandiaLevieuxBeyond the Film, by Vito De CL, VIA Magazine, 2006 BC https://www.academia.edu/166170812/BEYOND_THE_FILM_a_semiotic_analysis_of_Chilean_Women_in_the_Film_Industry_VIA_2006_by_Vito_de_Candia_LevieuxDirector of Learning Systems; Prof. Lucía Carvajal Berland,Lucía Carvajal Berland, CCA, Chile 2023 https://www.circulocriticosarte.cl/fallece-luca-carvajal-berland_-5477.htmlLucía Carvajal Berland, Educadora, Universidad de Chile en Santiago, http://www.uchile.cl/ Director for VIA Regional Center in Santiago, Chile;This team operated jointly with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, writers, faculty and university interns implementing multi-location projects across the Americas and extended to the Asia Pacific region.

Projects

Since 1998, VIA's main participation has been the introduction of the Digital Process of academic programs. VIA's implementations of sustainable education projects were mainly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), impacting the fields of research and professional development for e-learning and the Global Education industry, working with UNESCO ASPNet initiatives. VIA's main research program was centered in human resources, with a focus on inclusion of multi-generational and gender equity in the workplace; these projects were affiliated and funded by University of British Columbia, UNESCO and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Along VIA's philanthropic contributions, the institute participated in peacebuilding initiatives and organized events for the World Academy of Art and Science, the Peacebuilding Commission, and the Vancouver Institute Lectures at the University of British Columbia.Vancouver Institute Lectures, University of British Columbia Archives, BC Canada, February 19, 2018|https://archives.library.ubc.ca/lists/vancouver-institute-lectures/

Publications

Research and Development, VIA's R&D team focused heavily on international development programs, multi-national educational reforms, and consulting workshops alongside agencies like UNESCO and CIDA, much of its output consisted of policy briefs, training frameworks, and project report papers rather than a traditional academic journal. In addition, VIA's R&D team participated in collective publications and academic teaching materials with professional centres at UBC, York University, Universidad Austral (Chile), Universidad Austral (Argentina), and Stanford University Regional Centres and Institutes mainly in the Andean regions of Chile and related projects in Argentina.VIA projects, Stanford University in Santiago | https://santiago.stanford.edu/

Key Notable Publications & Collaborative Papers:

Open Regionalism: Strengthening the Net. Perspectives from APEC Countries (1999). Details: Co-edited by Paz Buttedahl and Francisco Rojas Aravena, this prominent book/report was published jointly by FLACSO Chile and the Vancouver Institute for the Americas. It centers on economic and educational integration across countries in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000138940_eng

Educational Reform and E-Learning Platform Research. Details: VIA was heavily involved in the development and documentation of multinational educational initiatives, notably the ENLACES-Mineduc project in Chile. This research established e-learning platforms and educational networks under the guidance of the International Bureau of Education.https://archives.library.ubc.ca/explore-ubc-archives-online/digitized-materials/

Human Security and Educational Frameworks. Details: The institute regularly contributed regional studies and workshop papers to UNESCO networks tracking human security, empowerment, and educational development in Latin America.https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000138940_eng

Legacy

Among VIA's main initiatives are its program of academic mobility that spans the Americas, supporting accredited certificates, diplomas, bachelor's and master's degrees, in conjunction with its participation in the transformation process of its digital academic curriculum working with the Global e-learning project ENLACES-Mineduc, based in Chile; its affiliation to FLACSO University research projects, The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), UNESCO, and the United Nations University. VIA ceased operations following the death of its founder, Paz Buttedahl, in 2007.

See also VIA University College, since 2008 in Denmark

References

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Profile Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Profile.