Helping students create a positive online presence

It's not something that University of Iowa junior Swati Panchal feels comfortable bringing up to friends and acquaintances - her making both the Dean's and President's lists and her involvement in a number of other student organizations and activities.

But as of this semester she doesn't have to. The UI is doing the bragging for Panchal - and thousands of other UI students like her - through its recent involvement in a social media-style website called Merit. The UI on Feb. 24 became one of 500-plus universities and colleges nationally to launch its own Merit page, which lets it showcase thousands of students who've won any number of awards.

Now, any time students receive an honor, the UI can post that information on its Merit page, which then shares it with each student's hometown newspaper and high school.

Every student who is recognized receives an email asking them to 'claim” their profile. By doing so, students can update their information with a photo and other achievements and activities - including work experience and group membership.

The awards and profiles can be shared on other social media websites - such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Panchal has done that.

'I was on the President's List before, and I didn't tell anyone,” Panchal said. 'But when people saw me on (Merit), I got shout outs from friends and organizations. It was nice to be recognized.”

Panchal said she believes - as she nears graduation - that it's important to have a positive web presence. The UI's Merit page gives her that and allows her to keep a record of her activities - she also serves as president of the UI's Indian Student Alliance, university relations committee chair of Students Today Alumni Tomorrow, and she's a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

'It's nice to be able to show that you have a lot more going on than just school,” she said.

A resume built by your school

Colin Mathews, founder and president of Merit based in Albany, N.Y., said the website officially launched last year after going through a testing phase that started in 2011. Through the more than 500 universities and colleges using Merit, Mathews said, administrators have managed to promote the accomplishments of more than 2.5 million students nationally.

'Everyone knows that having a positive online presence is important - between 75 and 80 percent of all employers will search for you online before they hire you,” Mathews said. 'So, in some ways, Merit is almost like a resume that is built for you by your school. It's a positive online presence of just the good stuff.”

The website also benefits the universities and colleges, in that it spreads the word about success students are having on campus.

'It's good for the University of Iowa because it reaches people who are curious about whether Iowa is a good fit,” Mathews said. 'They can see people who they know doing things that are interesting and valuable.”

Merit has gone from zero to 500 memberships since 2011, and Mathews said they are more than doubling participation every year. Organizations and groups - such as academic honor societies - also are using the website, according to Mathews said.

But none had a bigger launch than the UI, which nearly crashed the server on Feb. 24 when its page came online, Mathews said.

'Iowa really shot the lights out, frankly,” he said. 'Iowa had just keyed up the student body so perfectly that we did actually have some hiccups. They stalled us for a while as we processed all the feedback.”

Mathews said he thinks Iowa was 'proud to have staggered us a little bit.”

'Without a doubt, that was the biggest crush we have ever gotten from one of our launches,” he said. 'I give them credit.”

‘You broke Merit'

The UI, to date, has announced six honors on its Merit page, involving 4,385 students. Awards or honors listed include the President's and Dean's lists, the John and Elsie Mae Ferentz Research Fund Award and participation in the Hawkeye Caucus in Des Moines.

The average rate of students nationally who 'claim” their page on Merit - meaning they acknowledge their profile and update it with a photo and new information - is about 18 percent. From Feb. 24 to March 24, the UI claim rate was 36 percent, said Aaron Blau, new media manager for the university.

The average email open rate for Merit honors nationally is about 71 percent, and Blau said the UI email open rate for Merit awards is 86 percent.

'When we released the President's and Dean's lists, there was so much traffic to our Merit page by people wanting to claim their page or parents wanting to see if their student made the list that the Merit server actually crashed,” he recalled.

The next morning, according to Blau, Merit officials called and said, 'Congratulations, you broke Merit.”

The plan, going forward, is to use the website to recognize as many honors as possible.

'Anything we feel warrants a Merit release, we will put into the system,” Blau said.

The UI is paying $15,995.69 a year to use Merit, according to Blau. The website serves the UI by giving it a way to highlight student achievement, reach student hometowns and high schools and communicate with parents and family members.

It gives students a positive online presence, he said.

'If you Google someone's name, you pull them up on Facebook, LinkedIn and now Merit too,” Blau said. 'This is a great way for students to create another online profile for themselves and build an online resume.”

Previously the university notified the community about awards and honors through its news service and Iowa Now publication. Blau said it still will use that as a tool to recognize students.

'But this has really streamlined the process,” he said. 'And it's been amazing for engagement and students and anyone following.”

Blau said he believes the UI's Merit page will become a permanent fixture, as it also offers the university a way to share news with its 71,000-some followers and Facebook and other social media websites.

Meagan Legaspi, a UI freshman from Peoria, Ill., recently was honored for making the dean's list in her first semester at college, and she said she shared the news on Merit via Facebook.

'And I know for a fact my parents were really excited when they saw it and shared it on their Facebook page,” Legaspi said. 'Parents like to use that stuff to show off their kids.”

Legaspi said she plans to use her Merit profile through her college career to keep track of her achievements and activities.

'You get busy, so it's nice to know what you've done,” she said. 'And it's a good thing for future employers to see.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3106; vanessa.miller@sourcemedia.net