Central College News

Welcome to Merit (Who? What? Why?)

Featured: Welcome to Merit (Who? What? Why?)

September 15, 2014
Central College students can claim their Merit pages starting Sept. 15. The College will use Merit to publicize student achievements throughout the year.

Central College students can claim Merit pages starting Sept. 15. The College will use Merit to publicize student achievements throughout the year.

When our students excel, Central College wants to share and celebrate their success. As part of that effort, the College will soon create a web page for every student on Merit, a media tool that publicizes student achievements.

Last year, Central became one of more than 500 colleges and universities to use Merit. This fall, all Central students will be added to Merit immediately, with achievement postings to follow.

Whenever students receive recognition—membership in honor societies, leadership positions, the Dean’s List and more—Central staff will publish their stories on Merit. This enables students to easily share their accomplishments with family and friends on social media—and it also helps Central share the news with their hometown newspapers.

In these ways, Merit helps students build a positive online reputation. Achievements are verified by the College, and Merit pages can act as digital resumes. Students can further enhance their pages by adding a bio, profile photos, campus activities and additional work experience. Students may also choose to opt out of Merit, in which case their achievements will not be published.

Aleksandar Glavas ’15 was one of many Central students to have an achievement posted on Merit last year. Glavas, a biochemistry and biology major from Loves Park, Ill., presented research during Undergraduate Scholarship Celebration Day at Central on May 8. The College posted this news via Merit, and Glavas’ hometown newspaper, the Rockford Register Star, also shared the story.

Central posted more than 1300 student achievements last year, from scholarship awards to research paper presentations. Many students received multiple awards, and 250 students claimed their pages to establish a personal online profile.

Students who have not yet received Merit postings can also claim their pages starting Sept. 15. Throughout the year, student pages’ will be updated as often as they are recognized for success.

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