Lee was herself a nontraditional student as an undergraduate at Illinois State.  She earned her bachelor's degree in Social Sciences Education in 1959, and she returned to Illinois State in 1962 to join the faculty in the Social Sciences Department.

Lee compiled an impressive list of accomplishments at Illinois State, but she is perhaps most noted for her talents as an administrator.  After serving as chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Lee went on to "share her administrative expertise and conciliatory talents in her role as chair of the of the History and Foreign Languages Departments" according to Freed.  Lee also played a crucial role in revamping the curriculum at Illinois State as it transformed from a teachers college to a comprehensive university.

In addition to the endowment created by Lee, support for nontraditional women is fostered by the newly created Women’s Mentoring Network.  Established in the spring of 2003, the Network is comprised of faculty and staff at Illinois State who themselves were nontraditional students.  The Network, currently serving 75 students, mentors newly admitted nontraditional women students and provides guidance and support. Teri Farr, Sandra Harmon, Patrice Olsen, and Julie Ruby—all from the College of Arts and Sciences—played integral roles in developing the Network and organizing the first conference.

For more information or to find out how to get involved, please contact Teri Farr at tjfarr@ilstu.edu or by phone at 438-8669.  You may also visit their website at mentoringnetwork.ilstu.edu.