Given the contradictory policies of the new White House administration regarding comprehensive support for Ukraine in its just struggle against Russian invaders, it is particularly important to use all possible platforms to promote the Ukrainian agenda, including among American politicians, businesspeople, academics, and other interested parties.

In this context, the role of intellectual discourse cannot be overestimated, as Ukrainian researchers can act as influential academic ambassadors, drawing the attention of authoritative American partners to the urgent challenges facing Ukraine's development during and after the war.

It is extremely important that Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy also makes a significant contribution to building such bridges of understanding between Ukrainians and Americans. Thanks to the scholarly efforts of Taras Romashchenko – Associate Professor at the Department of Economics and International Economic Relations – the voice of BKNUC was represented at the world-renowned ASN 29th World Convention 2025, which took place last week at Columbia University (New York, USA).

“Some time ago, I received an invitation from the organisers of ASN World Convention to participate in this year's events. The paper I proposed to present at Columbia University was approved by the Convention's organising committee, as it addressed an issue of paramount importance for Ukraine's recovery: the revival of its socio-economic and demographic potential through investments in the return of millions of forced migrants to their homeland.

I believe that my speech generated considerable and genuine interest among the participants of the panel. In particular, representatives from Harvard, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities, as well as colleagues from universities in Canada, France, Switzerland, Poland, and other countries engaged in an active discussion following my presentation. Overall, ASN World Convention 2025 is a truly global event of the year for hundreds of scholars from various fields of knowledge and other stakeholders from many countries around the world. They participate in numerous thematic panels, discussions of outstanding books by prominent authors, screenings of documentaries on current events in international relations, and more,” shared Taras Romashchenko.

According to Taras Romashchenko, his participation in this year's ASN 2025 Nationalities Convention was not limited to his own speech at Columbia University. The Forum organisers also invited the BKNUC scholar to chair one of the panel sessions dedicated to Ukraine. In addition, the programme of his stay in New York was filled with other significant events. For instance, Taras Romashchenko attended ceremonies organised by Shevchenko Scientific Society, where he learned about the history of the organisation, its library collections, and opportunities for potential academic research. The meetings at the headquarters of the public organisation Razom for Ukraine were no less informative. The workshop, at which the well-known Ukrainian journalist Kateryna Lisunova introduced Ukrainian scholars to the nuances of effective cooperation with leading American/Western media outlets for the public dissemination of their research results, proved particularly useful.

For reference. Columbia University in New York is not only one of the leading institutions of higher education in the United States and the world. It is, without exaggeration, a veritable cradle of famous personalities: world-renowned scientists, politicians, businessmen, artists and other iconic figures. Suffice it to say that 52 representatives of Columbia have been awarded the Nobel Prize over the years. Three American presidents studied here: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Barack Obama. Such well-known names in economics and finance as Milton Friedman and Warren Buffett are also inextricably linked with Columbia.  Columbia University has also made a significant contribution to the arts, with 39 of its graduates winning Oscars, and the works of Jerome Salinger and Isaac Asimov becoming part of the world's literary heritage.

Department of Economics and International Economic Relations