- Carsten Rosendahl, UMUC Europe
Business Administration Major
School of Undergraduate Studies
MyUMUC Story:
Global Ventures Stay on Carsten Rosendahl’s Itinerary While He Earns Degree
By: Amanda Agatstein
“I take dips in the ocean year-round, even when the water hits 33 degrees Farenheit,” says Carsten Rosendahl. “I guess the Viking genes still exist!”
Rosendahl, a Danish UMUC undergraduate student, doesn’t let something as minor as frigid temperatures interfere with his love of the ocean. Nor does he let the feat of earning his bachelor’s degree get in the way of his love for worldwide travel.
“I usually fill up one passport with stamps in five years,” exclaims Rosendahl, who is earning his bachelor of science in business administration. “My travels have taken me to many fantastic and remote corners of our wonderful planet.”
Rosendahl, the director of Distributor Sales at Struers A/S in Denmark, lives near Hamlet’s castle, “Kronborg” on Northern Zealand, about 30 miles north of Copenhagen. The married father of three—his youngest daughter was just born in October—travels the world extensively despite his busy family life and work schedule. His itinerary for 2008 includes trips to China, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and several more global destinations.
“The online format of my classes at UMUC is perfect,” says Rosendahl. “It works from anywhere, at any point in time. The platform is quite easy to use and very flexible, but of course, self-discipline is required.”
The format especially fits for Rosendahl, who wasn’t willing to sacrifice his globe-trotting lifestyle and career to earn his bachelor’s degree. An accomplished photographer, he has spent more than four years away from Denmark, traveling both on business and as a tourist with his trusty backpack.
Among those years abroad, Rosendahl spent a year in the U.S. working for a large packaging company, six months in Australia, a year in South East Asia, and three months in Israel, and he also ventured on many other business trips, from Trinidad to South Africa to Saudi Arabia. His favorite vacation spot is Australia, followed closely by Thailand, because of their beautiful cultures, cuisine, and architecture.
Rosendahl’s international awareness and passion for travel is vital to his position at Struers A/S. He is also responsible for subsidiaries in China, Singapore, and Stockholm, and some of his daily tasks include evaluation and improvement of sales channels and maintaining a direct company presence around the globe. He also analyzes new markets and builds competencies to help make existing and new subsidiaries profitable.
The BS in business administration program has helped Rosendahl gain useful skills for his career. “I have a broader understanding for important international, financial, and marketing issues,” he says. His favorite class so far? “Strategic Management,” he easily answers. “It has given me some good tools for business development.”
Though he’s filled many passports up with stamps from around the world, Rosendahl has one more very important stop on his travel agenda.
“I have never been to UMUC headquarters in Maryland,” says Rosendahl, “but my plan is to stop by for graduation in 2009!”
