Merit, a nonprofit governed by Michigan's public universities, owns & operates the longest-running regional education network.
Ann Arbor, MI
Joined July 2009
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Every network has its monster. 🎃🐿️
Keeping schools, libraries, and communities online means watching for threats of every kind, from ransomware to rodents.
Happy Halloween from all of us at Merit!
💜 #Halloween #Merit60 #FiberOptics #ResearchAndEducation
In 1969, two computers sent the internet’s first message. In 1971, Merit Network connected its first two.
Today, Merit’s fiber helps Detroit households get online.
@RocketCF’s video tells the story (link below) 💜
#NationalInternetDay #Merit60
“I always joke when I started at Merit, I thought a router was something you use in a woodshop.”
Bob Stovall went from building equipment by hand in “the shop” to leading construction on 2,287 miles of Merit Network fiber. 💜 #Merit60
“We have a responsibility to our community to fulfill that role. It’s inherent in our mission.”
Jameka Williams, Merit Network, on staying at the cutting edge of the next idea and the next technology. 💜 #Merit60
This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we're recognizing the professionals who work every day to keep higher education secure.
We're proud to support your work.
#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth #ThankYouIT #HigherEdIT #MeritNetwork
IPv6 doesn’t have to be a one-time migration. It can be a readiness strategy that grows with your campus.
Join Dr. John Heidemann (@USC_ISI) and Dr. Pierrette Dagg (Merit Network) for a practical higher ed roadmap.
🗓️ Nov. 11 | 11:30 AM–12:30 PM ET
#IPv6 #HigherEdIT
Register for “Start Your IPv6 Journey: A Practical Roadmap for Higher Education” web.cvent.com/event/d4c9cf95…
Charlotte Bewersdorff, VP for Community Engagement at Merit Network, on the question behind the Michigan Moonshot Initiative:
"What more can we do with that infrastructure beyond anchor connectivity?"
Sixty years in, that's still the work. 💜
#Merit60 #MichiganMoonshot
Cyber Tip of the Week: Passwords alone aren't enough. 🔒
Even the strongest password can be stolen. MFA adds a second check that helps keep accounts safe.
This week:
🛡️ Review where MFA is enabled
🛡️ Encourage faculty and staff to turn it on
#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth
Learn more about Merit SOC: merit.edu/solutions/networki…
Merit Network is owned by 12 of Michigan's public universities. President and CEO Roger Blake on what that feels like from the inside:
"The community really has a sense of ownership here."
60 years of members treating this network as their own. Thank you. 💜
#Merit60
What if you could test-drive a particle accelerator before touching a single dial?
FRIB at @michiganstateu and @argonne National Lab won a DOE Genesis Mission award to build AI "digital twins" that test settings virtually and learn from real use. 💜
#TechThursday #AI
Learn more: msutoday.msu.edu/news/2026/0…
Not Every Email Is What It Seems. 🛡️
🚩Unexpected requests for passwords or sensitive information
🚩Links that don't match the sender or destination
🚩Urgent language designed to create panic or pressure
🚩Email addresses that look almost—but not quite—correct
#Cybersecurity
Learn more about Merit SOC: merit.edu/solutions/networki…
Free Wi-Fi. Device lending. Low-cost internet. Tech help.
This Digital Inclusion Week, find it all near you on Michigan's Digital Opportunity Enablement Map (DOEM). And if your organization helps people get connected, get on the map. 💜
Link below.
#DIW2026
Find resources near you, or add your organization: merit.edu/doem
Much of the computing power behind today's research already exists at the national level, often at no cost.
On Oct. 15, Merit Network joins IT@WMU to help @WesternMichU researchers tap into national HPC, AI, and data resources. 💜
#ResearchComputing #HPC
Learn more and register: wmich.edu/it/news/2026/09/it…
Interested in learning more about bringing free NSF resources to your community? Contact us today to learn more merit.edu/contact