Graduates from Bhaktivedanta College in Radhadesh, Belgium, have recently taken up managerial positions in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Aravindaksa Dasa is the College’s first graduate to take on the post of temple president – in Antwerp. And Bhaktavasa Govinda Dasa was elected vice-president at the Wrozlaw temple in Poland. Both graduates are also teaching educational programs based on their studies at Bhaktivedanta College.

Others out of the seven students who graduated from the accredited ISKCON school on June 19, 2008 have decided to continue on with their studies. All were awarded a B.A. in Vaishnava Theology, and received top marks according to the marking system of Bhaktivedanta College’s partner, the University of Wales Lampeter.

Bhaktivedanta College has welcomed twenty-nine students from twenty different countries for the current 2008 – 09 school year, its seventh year in operation. Twelve are new first-year students,  while seventeen will be continuing their studies.

It’s been and will continue to be an exciting year for them, with several new additions to the curriculum.

An Academic Approach to the Bhagavad-gita, taught by Anuradha Dasi, proved fascinating and relevant to current events.

And the devotional retreat centered on Srila Prabhupada was a major highlight, enabling students to become better acquainted with ISKCON’s founder. They sat transfixed as Prabhupada’s longtime servant Srutakirti Dasa gave firsthand accounts of his guru’s compassionate and loving dealings. Later, many expressed their deep gratitude to him for strengthening their connection with their spiritual grandfather.

This year’s students at Bhaktivedanta College will also add opportunities for teaching Krishna consciousness onto their theoretical and practical studies. So far they have already chanted the Hare Krishna mantra in the streets of Paris, Gent, and Antwerp. They have organised an event for international students at the University of Leuven, and have facilitated congregational spiritual networks in Luxembourg and Brussels. Students also plan to take part in December’s Prabhupada book distribution marathon.

Bhaktivedanta College continues to expand its boundaries with a new undergraduate program provisionally titled “Spiritual Economics and Management,” which it will be offering via distance learning. Students will receive a BA in business administration, but will learn an alternative economy based on universal principles delineated in scripture. The course’s topics will include management, varnasrama-dharma, self-sufficiency and healthy living. The program will also be available onsite once  finances have been acquired to complete the new College building.