PORTSMOUTH —Gov. Ted Strickland has appointed Matthew Allard, of Wheelersburg, as a student trustee on the Board of Trustees at Shawnee State University.

Allard is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran serving from 2005 to 2009 with two deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

For his time in service, Allard has received a Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, two Iraq Campaign Medals, Navy Unit Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, a National Defense Service Medal and two letters of commendation.

“Having student representation on our Board of Trustees is important to us and we couldn’t be more pleased with this appointment,” Dr. Rita Rice Morris, SSU president, said. “Matt will no doubt serve the student body – and entire campus community – well. We appreciate his commitment to Shawnee State.”

Allard is a psychology major and neuroscience minor student at SSU, a member of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and president of the Student Government Association.

“I plan to be the voice of the students to the Board of Trustees and be a part of the growth of the university,” Allard said. “It’s a great honor to be a part of the development of SSU. We’re one of the fastest growing universities in Ohio and we are trying to implement new events on campus to get more students involved and raise the retention rate.”

He is working on several initiatives through SGA for more student involvement, promote Shawnee pride and encourage students to support athletics.

“One of the biggest issues I’m concerned with is why we lose so many students,” Allard said. “We’re just trying to get more activities going to try to change that.”