Administrator Talking Points
Describe how Merit helps showcase institutional value.
“We provide an outstanding educational experience here at [COLLEGE NAME], but we can’t just say it: we have to prove it. Every student has an audience of people who cares about what they are doing here, and Merit makes it easy for us to reach them with stories of that student’s success.
When we demonstrate the unique path of all our students via their Merit pages, we can show how we are preparing them for the next step by providing them with enriching academic and co-curricular experiences.
Our students are doing amazing work on campus and beyond, all the time. Merit lets us recognize that success and share it with a community of people who care about every student. And by doing so, our students end up with a positive online presence that’s verified by [COLLEGE NAME] and enhances their reputations, as well.”
Why is it important to promote student success to external stakeholders?
“We need our stakeholders to be aware of the great things our students are doing — it helps our reputation and makes [COLLEGE NAME] students competitive among employers and graduate programs. We want parents to know about the good things their son or daughter accomplishes here, and then share that success with other parents. We want friends on social media to support and congratulate our students when they see that they’re doing something innovative or having academic success. We want those who influence opinions about our institution to always be aware of our track record of successful outcomes.”
Why is student success so important and how does Merit help?
“We want every student who comes to [COLLEGE NAME] to be successful, both during and after their time with us. What’s compelling about Merit is that it gives each one of our students a place online where everyone can discover their success. Students can come to [COLLEGE NAME] and work hard and participate in what we offer, and then our institution turns their accomplishments into a professional profile for them. Merit also engages our students and gets them thinking about that next step early. They can watch their accomplishments aggregate on their Merit pages and be inspired to do even more.”
How can Merit help our students succeed after college?
“A student’s Merit page is like a resume or LinkedIn profile that’s built for them. They can use their Merit pages when applying for jobs or interviewing for graduate programs to show off what they’ve done and tell a compelling story about their time here. Students’ Merit pages remain active after they leave [COLLEGE NAME], so they will always have a record of their success here, and it will have our imprimatur on it.”
Institutions that engage senior administrators (specifically, the president or provost) in educating the campus about Merit see higher engagement and better results. Below are talking points you can use to prep your president and/or provost for a recorded interview to use in your own Merit campus video, or they can use when simply talking with the media, your board, or the cabinet.