What is Merit?
Clark University uses Merit Pages to disseminate student news, including the Dean’s List, awards and fellowships, Commencement, and more. The University’s Merit Page showcases the achievements of everyone in the Clark community, but it doesn’t stop there: Every Clark student has their own Merit page, too.
We encourage students to personalize their pages by adding photos, work and/or volunteer experiences, athletics achievements, and student organization memberships. And students can continue to add to this page after they graduate and become Clark alums!
By using Merit Pages, Clark can easily share student successes with their hometown newspapers across the country, high school administrators, and elected officials. Moreover, the pages make it easy for students — and those close to them — to share their accomplishments on social media.
Students can also ensure family and friends always receive news about their achievements by adding their emails to their Merit accounts. (Students can add as many people as they like to receive these notifications.)
FAQs for Students
How can I use my Merit Page — and why would I want to?
Merit showcases student accomplishments and is a quick and powerful way for you to show employers the success, skills, and expertise you’ve acquired at Clark. You may include the link to their Merit Page on your résumés and share it with potential employers or graduate school admissions counselors. You also can connect your Merit Page to social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
How are student Merit Pages created? Do I need to do anything to use it?
Clark University creates and updates Merit Pages for all our students when they enroll. The pages get updated regularly — for example, when students receive awards, when the Dean’s list is announced, and after Commencement.
You need to “claim” your Merit Page once it’s created. Click the link in the email you received in their Clark email from Merit or by visiting Clark University’s Merit Page.
Once on the site:
- Type your name in the search bar at the bottom.
- Select your profile, and beneath your name on the next screen, click “Is this you?”
- Enter your Clark University email address and submit the form. You should receive a confirmation email from Merit.
- “Claim” your Merit Page by signing in with your email and following the prompts. When you claim your page, you can select your privacy settings and permissions.
You can customize your Merit Page anytime by adding a profile photo, bio, videos, your cocurricular activities, and work and volunteer experience.
How will I know when my Merit Page is created or updated?
When your profile is created, you will receive a notification from Merit in your Clark inbox, followed by a welcome email. You are also notified by email when a new achievement has been added to your Merit Page.
You can click the link to view the achievement, update your page, share the link with others, and post it to their other profiles or websites.
I already have a LinkedIn profile. Why do I need this?
Unlike a LinkedIn page, Clark University can add your major accomplishments to your Merit Page for you. When you want to share your Merit Page with potential employers or others, it’s already there! Also, your Merit Page achievements are verified by Clark and include our official stamp.
Merit Pages are a terrific complement to LinkedIn — you can even connect your Merit Page to your LinkedIn profile.
What about privacy? What information do you share about me?
The information Clark University publishes through Merit is considered “directory information” and is addressed under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) “directory information” clause.
Directory information, such as your name, graduation year, activities, and other publicly available facts, is not considered confidential, according to FERPA.
Your Merit Page was created for you by Clark University in compliance with our FERPA policy, but you can control your privacy settings, including how people can discover your Merit page.
How to configure your Merit page privacy settings
I don’t want this page. Can I opt out?
If you’d rather opt out of Merit, reply to the email you received from Merit and ask to be removed — you can always opt back in at a later time. Opting out of Merit not only removes your page from the Merit Pages site, but also prevents Clark University or any other participating Merit organizations from publishing achievements about you in the future. Privacy settings can be customized at any time.
How can I get more information?
You can find answers to frequently asked questions and/or email Merit support staff by visiting Merit’s Student Help page or by contacting Clark’s media relations manager, Angela Bazydlo.