Sharing your legacy with the world
As a way to further celebrate the success of our students, the University of Mississippi is using a hometown news platform called Merit Pages to help share personalized stories about Ole Miss students with the world.
This platform creates customized stories and news releases for Ole Miss students who are recognized and then shares that news with their hometown newspapers, high school principals and guidance counselors, state legislators and family members. With the click of a button, students are able to post those stories directly to their social media pages, as well as customize their own Merit Pages profile with pictures, work experience, awards and academic achievements, and connect their profiles through LinkedIn.
Watch this video or keep scrolling to learn more. To share a story idea or ask questions, email us at meritpages@olemiss.edu.
Merit Pages FAQ
How does it work?
- Ole Miss students routinely win awards, get selected for honors, publish research or participate in other campus events and activities that deserve recognition.
- University Marketing & Communications receives a list of the students who are named to honor rolls and societies, and who graduate from the university during Commencement. Students, faculty and staff can also submit their own unique achievements to be considered for publication.
- A personalized story is published to the Ole Miss Merit Pages platform.
- That story is sent to the local hometown newspaper of each student recognized, as well as the state legislator from that area.
- Students receive an email to their go.olemiss.edu account with a link to view their story, customize their Merit Pages profile and share their achievement directly to their social media channels. If parent information is on file for the students, parents will also receive an email allowing them to share the achievement on their own social media channels or via email.
- Students have full access to their Merit Pages profile and can add pictures, work experience, awards and academic achievements.
- Students and their parents can email meritpages@olemiss.edu with any questions.
How does Merit Pages benefit students?
Merit Pages at Ole Miss creates an institution-verified digital page for individual university students that showcases their achievements from enrollment through graduation. Student achievements are built automatically as the university shares success stories, creating a digital portal that students can share with family, friends, colleagues, employers and others.
What information is shared within Merit Pages?
Shared content will only include information about students that is designated as “directory information” under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If any information is listed incorrectly or you wish to update any directory information, please email meritpages@olemiss.edu.
I’ve been included in a Merit Pages achievement story. What do I do now?
When a student’s name is included in a Merit Pages story, the student and family members (if information is on file) will receive an email letting them know the student is being celebrated. Students can then click the link to see their story and share it with friends and family. Simultaneously, the story is also shared with hometown newspapers, high school principals and counselors, and state legislators via email.
Can I submit achievements for consideration?
In some cases, such as the chancellor’s honor roll or Commencement, University Marketing & Communications will receive these achievement lists, so you don’t need to do anything. UM&C is routinely contacted by honor societies and other organizations on campus to promote achievements, but we always welcome the opportunity to celebrate even more!
Students, faculty and staff can submit their own unique achievements for consideration. Email meritpages@olemiss.edu to share your submission idea. A member of the UM&C staff will review the submissions and contact you with any questions.
How does Merit Pages determine where to send my story?
Merit Pages shares your story accordingly based on the information you used when you registered at Ole Miss. You will receive a copy of the story to your student email address, and your parents will receive a copy if there’s an email address on file for them. Your hometown newspapers and state legislators are determined based on the ZIP code associated with the students’ permanent address, and high schools are based on the information students provided on their admission application.
Most of this information can be updated in the student’s Merit Pages profile. To view and make changes to which addresses are on file for your account, log in to your Merit Pages account and go to “My Account.” From there, click on “Privacy.” Email meritpages@olemiss.edu with any issues or questions.
Can I update or customize my Merit Pages profile?
Yes! We encourage students to customize their profiles as much as they want. After logging in to their personal page, students can create a customized URL, add a profile photo, biography, other activities, work experience, or connect to their LinkedIn profile so these updates are made automatically. Changes can also be made to personal information, such as name, email address, hometown and major.
How can other friends and family follow my achievements?
Family members whose email addresses are on record with the university will automatically be alerted each time a new story is posted via email. Other family members may also visit the Merit Pages at Ole Miss portal page, search for their student, and click the “follow” button. They will be prompted to create an account that allows them to follow students’ achievements.
For students who would prefer not to share these stories with family members, they can remove those email addresses from the automatic distribution by logging into their Merit account, clicking on “My Account” and then clicking “Privacy.”
How can I access my Merit Pages profile?
Once students are enrolled at Ole Miss, they will receive a Merit welcome message to their go.olemiss.edu email account that includes a link to their personal page along with a temporary username and password that can be changed once they have logged in.
Students can also visit the Merit Pages website and click “Sign in” at the top right corner to follow the “Forgot your password?” steps to log in with their Ole Miss email address.
What if I want to opt out?
Opting out not only removes a student’s page from meritpages.com, but it also prevents the university or any other participating Merit organization from being able to publish achievements about that student in the future. When students first visit their Merit Page, they have an option to click the “Opt Out” button right away, or they can click the “Opt Out” button at the bottom of the welcome email they receive. If they decide to opt out later, they can click “My Account,” “Privacy” and then “Opt Out,” or they can contact meritpages@olemiss.edu to be removed.
