The Distinguished Service Award

Lani Hum McKnight received her bachelor’s degree in art education and English in 1968. Her passion and interest in volunteering and leading were nurtured early on at Ashland. While on campus, she was a founding member of a local sorority which later became Alpha Phi sorority where she served as a Vice President. Her passion for Ashland is also a result of strong family ties. She met her husband, Paul ’70, while on campus and both of their children, Casey ’93 and Courtney McKnight Lee ’96, are Ashland alumni. Lani’s involvement with Ashland is wide spreading. The McKnight Family Scholarship was established in honor of her granddaughter, Kaitlyn Hope Kuhn, who passed in 1999 and is awarded annually to a female athlete. She initiated and was a driving force in the 50-year Greek Reunion in 2016 and in 2017 was instrumental in “planting” the “seed” money for Karen Campo’s dream of a Prayer Garden. A fountain was added in 2020 as an everlasting symbol of love and faith. Lani and Paul also helped realize the vision of Occupational Life Calling which helps students discern their passion and talents. This has led to the renaming of the Career Services Center to the Career Center for Life Calling with a newly renovated home on the 8th floor of the Archer Library. With the development of the Jack W. Liebert Military and Veterans Resource Center, the lobby was named after her and Paul’s fathers who served in WWII. She also played a key role in the renovation of a space on campus into the USA House which provides on campus housing for veteran and military related students. Lani remains an active member of the AU Board of Trustees Auxiliary and, along with Paul, continues to provide ten annual scholarships for the Emerson Scholars program in the Dauch College of Business and Economics. Since 2007, more than 150 scholarships have been awarded