By Larissa Martins, LSI Communications Assistant

Fueled by his passion for data science and international collaboration, Dr. Andrii Roskladka thrived during his month-long BridgeUSA academic fellowship at Florida State University and is eager to apply the knowledge he gained upon his return to Ukraine. 

For the past decade, Dr. Roskladka has led the Digital Economy and Systems Analysis Department at the State University of Trade and Economics in Kyiv. In addition to his administrative and research duties, he manages a demanding teaching load of five courses per semester, ranging from undergraduate classes in Data Analysis Technologies to master’s courses in Big Data Analytics. 

After successfully completing a rigorous application process last year, Dr. Roskladka was one of the few Ukrainian scholars selected to immerse themselves at an American university as a BridgeUSA fellow. His time at Florida State University (FSU) marked his first visit to an English-speaking country, despite his extensive international travel experience. 

“FSU is a huge university; I haven’t seen such a size of a university in any country,” Dr. Roskalda remarked. “FSU has its own theater, circus, a big stadium, and many other locations—it’s amazing.” 

Beyond his admiration for the size and global reach of FSU, Dr. Roskladka was particularly impressed by the time available for professors to conduct research, as well as the academic freedom offered to students through a wide selection of courses. Additionally, he was inspired by FSU’s robust cybersecurity systems and plans to share his newly gained insights with his colleagues in Ukraine.  

“FSU has a very strong system for saving official accounts of students and teachers,” noted Dr. Roskladka. “And, of course, safe online education processes are very useful for Ukrainian universities, most of which are teaching students online during the war.”

In a jam-packed schedule, Dr. Roskladka engaged with FSU mentors, attended workshops, toured campus facilities, and participated in various academic and cultural activities. Initially, he was skeptical about visiting during the summer rather than the fall or spring semesters, but he found that the summer session was the most opportune time for extensive one-on-one interactions with FSU faculty, which would have been more challenging during the busier academic months.

“I understand that teachers and researchers at FSU, even in the summer, have a lot of work but during all our meetings, they were very friendly and gave us a lot of attention and time,” said Dr. Roskladka. “All the students and colleagues are very professional.” 

Among the academic programs of FSU, Dr. Roskladka was most interested in the interdisciplinary Data Science program under the leadership of Dr. Gordon Erlebacher. In Ukraine, interdisciplinary programs are just beginning to be implemented, and the experience of FSU in this matter is very useful.

One of the important scientific highlights of Dr. Roskladka’s visit was meeting Dr. James Hunt and his colleagues from Office of Institutional Research at FSU. He was fascinated by how FSU utilizes analytical systems such as Tableau and Power BI to assess its standing among other universities in Florida and beyond. He enjoyed learning about different applications for these analytical platforms since they are also widely employed in his university. 

As an expert of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance (NAQA) in Ukraine, Dr. Roskladka plays a key role in evaluating Ukrainian academic programs. His work with the NAQA has also helped him forge strong connections with colleagues nationwide, and he is excited to share his vast fellowship experiences with them.

Dr. Roskladka believes this summer marked the beginning of a lasting partnership between FSU and State University of Trade and Economics. He is already in communication with FSU faculty to bring prospective projects to life.  

“I’m interested in collaborating in the field of conducting open lectures, webinars and other processes by online services for students, teachers, and colleagues,” stated Dr. Roskladka. “I think that this way of cooperation is useful for both universities.” 

One of Dr. Roskladka’s major goals is to eventually establish a dual-degree program between FSU and his university in the field of Data Science. He plans to draw from his previous experience organizing a double master’s program in International Business Analytics with the Bratislava University of Economics and Management, Slovakia, to create a similar program with FSU. Establishment a dual-degree program is currently under discussion with the active help of Dr. Nick Cogan, Professor of Department of Mathematics at FSU and Dr. Vilma Fuentes, Program Director of FSU Ukraine Task Force.

Ultimately, Dr. Roskladka expressed his gratitude to FSU for developing his growth as an educational leader and broadening his professional horizons during the fellowship. He looks forward to a bright future filled with potential collaborations between Ukraine and the United States that will continue to shape the world of education.