For any students who wished they could bring their Student Portfolio to life, the vaunted University Communications Department may have answered your prayers. On Friday, Feb. 17, University Manager of Media and Public Relations Lauren Rubenstein announced that the University will be partnering with the online service platform Merit.

“From research and academic awards to study abroad, volunteer work and co-curricular activities, your Merit page is a verified professional profile that we build for you, and that you can share with prospective employers, graduate schools and others,” Jennifer Wood, Dean of the Class of 2019, wrote in an email to students. “We’ll also use the system to notify your hometown newspaper, high schools, and families about your accomplishments. More than 300 colleges and universities around the country now use Merit.”

Every student will have a merit profile that will automatically update throughout their time at the University. Wesleyan’s institutional Merit page will feature a collection of student profiles and function as an extension of the University’s website.

“As we all know, Wesleyan students do amazing things,” Chief Communications Officer Key Nuttall told the University newsletter. “This new system allows us to share those great stories with family, community, potential employers, and graduate schools in a way that connects each of them with a student excelling here.”

This semester, Merit will be available on a trial run to first years, sophomores and juniors. The system will be open to seniors on Thursday. Students aren’t required to update their merit profile. If they choose, they may customize their page by adding a photo, biography, and expanding the activities section. Faculty who wish to submit news of student achievements can email studentnews@wesleyan.edu. Students who have questions about the service are encouraged to contact Ms. Rubenstein at lrubenstein@wesleyan.edu.