Meet Jeff Ederer of College Route Map in Stapleton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Ederer.

Jeff, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I graduated from high school and promptly took a job in a nearby factory driving a forklift. Since my dad never graduated from high school and no one else before me had gone much further, college wasn’t really on my radar. However, one year later the factory I was at laid off 30% of their employees and much to my disappointment, that was the end of my career as a forklift driver! On a lark, I signed up for a class at the local community college and my life changed forever. The next semester I was a full-time student, went on to get a dual bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Old Testament Studies, then a Masters in College Student Affairs, and finally a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Higher Education Leadership.

In high school, I didn’t think I was college material. Once I started at the community college, it wasn’t just the academic experience of that first class that made me realize I belonged there, it was all the campus had to offer beyond the classroom as well. My studies helped me obtain knowledge and all these years later I still use what I learned through my classes both to inform my actions and as a base for lifelong learning. I still keep in touch with some of my professors. However, it was all that happens beyond the classroom experience that led me down a path of wisdom and leadership. When I talk about the college experience to groups today I’ll bring up the point that after paying for and dedicating four years of their life to an institution, college alumni often still want to give more money to the cause. Often we’re talking about students who are still paying off their debt. I will then ask the obvious question, why does this happen? Can anyone think of any other field where customers pay a lot of money for something they have to work hard for, get their receipt (diploma) and then are still willing to give more money to the place? For me it is simple, I wasn’t merely a customer and the experience wasn’t just transactional. What I learned during my time as an undergraduate is that I could be far more than I ever imagined, I learned the world is bigger and more beautiful than I had previously been able to comprehend. I was so awestruck and grateful for my experience that I knew I wanted to give back.

For the next 32 years, I went on to work at seven different colleges (Azusa Pacific University, Huntington University, the California State University, the University of Massachusetts, Wesleyan University, the University of Denver, and Johnson & Wales University). From graduate intern to Dean of Students, I’m grateful for the opportunities to give back and offer to so many others what was given to me when I was a student: A vision of what could be and the confidence to step into the future as an active participant who can bend the arc of history towards goodwill, towards beauty, towards justice.

We had moved twice for my job, then it was my wife’s turn and we found ourselves in Denver. We weren’t here for very long before we knew this beautiful place would be our home well beyond the next tantalizing job opportunity in some other city. After 12 years of actively participating in the Colorado lifestyle, it was time for something new, beyond the college setting though still with the opportunity to build on my education, knowledge, and skills. I’ve been fortunate enough to live a somewhat interesting life. I’ve traveled to all 50 U.S. states, set foot on six continents and made my way through 67 countries (and counting). Traveling through India, I’ve also worked for a week at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying, I’ve walked the halls of Congress to lobby for funding to address the challenges present in sub-Saharan Africa and another time to impress on Representatives in the House as well as Senators of the great benefit and urgent need to approve funding for Pell Grants. Along the way, I’ve met two former U.S. Presidents, countless members of Congress, state legislators, city council folks, governors, and mayors. I even had dinner with a Nobel Peace Prize winner where the conversation was rich, the wine was flowing, and we were overserved.

All of these life and career experiences brought me to a scary and uniquely glorious moment. A pause to consider and discover what I can do beyond what I had been doing for so long. It didn’t take long to discover the path forward would be a culmination of all these life experiences. A capstone if you will. Denise Kupetz and I had worked together for 12 years, with our spouses we socialized together, and both of us share similar beliefs about the power and potential of a college education. I decided I wanted to build a small business where we could serve parents and their kids as they chart their course from high school to college and I knew Denise would be interested in joining me in the venture.

The venture took a name, College Route Map (collegeroutemap.com). Our core business as educational consultants is working with individual families to map out the path to finding a college that will be a great fit. There are approximately 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. and the vast majority offer a great educational experience. Unfortunately, only about 40 of them are talked about under the false narrative that these are 40 or so of the best colleges. We believe that is irrelevant and untrue. What’s important is for each student to find the best college for them and at a price they can afford. The process of finding a college that is the best fit has become outrageously complex and overwhelming. For many, we simplify the process for them. Beyond working with individual families we also donate time helping students in economically disadvantaged communities discover their educational potential. Additionally, we offer free sessions to groups of all shapes and sizes from workplace lunch and learns to churches and synagogues.

It’s quite a path I’ve been able to travel and I’m grateful for every step. I’m much closer to the end of my career than the beginning and yet my energy, passion, and desire to contribute is greater than ever.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Sure there have been a few struggles. Mostly the kind that everyone goes through, loss of loved ones, disappointment, etc. Has it been a smooth road? Most of the time, yes; some of the time, no. I have found it takes both success and failure to grow, learn, and become resilient. For me, the good news is I tend to see what I can learn from failure and then quickly forget what happened. I have an oddly incredible ability to remember what I want to and never remember what is irrelevant.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a principal at College Route Map, a company that provides guidance and counseling for families and their high school-aged children as they seek out a path to a college that is right for them. We work with students as early as the ninth grade with a focus on guiding but not directing, informing but not making declarations, and perhaps most important, following our philosophy to empower students and their parents by offering wisdom, research, and patience as they attempt to navigate a process that has become so cumbersome and overwhelming.

Second, we offer seminars in multiple settings that address everything from building a college list to navigating the financial aid process and continuing on to what student success looks like in college. About half the students who start in a bachelor’s level program each year will graduate from that same college within six years. The rest will either transfer or just drop out. Consequently, our focus goes beyond seeing students get into a college that is a great fit, we also offer our insights and strategies that research demonstrates will improve graduation rates.

Between the two of us have well over 50 years of experience working in colleges and universities and by extension, helping students find success throughout their collegiate experience. While some may think it gets old, neither one of us has found that to be the case. The other day I was reading a student’s essay and I was so awestruck by her writing I stopped and read it aloud to my wife. The content and construction of her story was a thing of beauty and it lifted my spirits to see how far she had come. This is why this work never gets old for me!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
The confidence to stare down any fear of failure, the ability to forget when you have failed while still learning from it, and the fortitude to continue on until a goal is achieved, regardless of whether or not it was your original goal.

Contact Info:

• Address: College Route Map
  3199 Emporia Street
  Denver, CO 80238
• Website: collegeroutemap.com
• Phone: (720) 422-7676
• Email: jeff@collegeroutemap.com
• Instagram: collegeroutemap
• Facebook: collegeroutemap
• Twitter: @collegeroutemap

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