Lee Drickamer has always believed that the influence of a university should extend far beyond its classrooms and laboratories.
“Most universities don’t interact enough with the community in which they’re located,” Drickamer says. “That barrier has to be broken so that there’s more understanding between the two, and so that communities know that universities care.”
Today, that philosophy is shaping new opportunities for students in Northern Arizona University’s Honors College.
With a gift of more than $615,000, Drickamer and his wife, Judith Sellers, have established the Drickamer-Sellers Honors Professorship for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning, along with the Drickamer-Sellers Community-Based Experiences Award.
Together, these funds support faculty leadership and student-led projects that connect NAU students with the broader Flagstaff community.
Drickamer spent the final chapter of a distinguished academic career at NAU, serving as Regents’ Professor of Biology and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. Over decades in academia—including earlier appointments at Williams College and Southern Illinois University—he built an international reputation in animal behavior research while mentoring students and helping strengthen NAU’s research community.
Sellers served as executive director of NAU’s Maria and Steve Sanghi College of Nursing and president of the NAU Faculty Senate, where she worked to strengthen town and gown connections.
They believe that experiential learning—working directly with real people and their real challenges—is central to a strong education.
“Students can go into business, or medicine, or they can even become faculty members themselves. They can do any number of things, but I hope that they carry that spirit—the spirit of ‘Let’s interact’—with them wherever they go,” says Drickamer.
The new professorship is designed to carry that spirit forward.
The inaugural holder of the endowed professorship is Kerri Quinn. Quinn’s work explores the power of storytelling and creative writing to foster empathy and connection.
The Drickamer-Sellers Community-Based Experiences Award is already helping Honors students turn ideas into action.
Among the first recipients is Honors student Emma Patterson, ’26, whose project connects NAU students with residents at The Peaks, A Senior Living Community, through a pen pal program. Each week, Patterson collects letters from participating residents and delivers them to NAU students, who respond in kind—building relationships across generations.
The project grew out of Patterson’s own personal reflections after losing her grandmother to Alzheimer’s disease.
“I don’t want people to be seen only for their physical and mental limitations,” Patterson says. “For older populations, they’re often seen that way automatically.”
Through handwritten letters and shared stories, the program encourages empathy, understanding, and human connection.
Another recipient, Samantha Gallegos, ’26, is using her Honors capstone to launch a pen pal program connecting English language learners at Flagstaff High School with bilingual students at NAU. The project grew out of her experience volunteering as a bilingual tutor for high school students at varying stages of English proficiency. Inspired in part by Patterson’s community engagement work, she hopes the program will help students build confidence in their language skills while creating meaningful connections between the university and the local community.
“I am deeply inspired by Dr. Drickamer’s desire to give back to the community and support projects that make Flagstaff a better place, and I am deeply appreciative of his faith in my project,” says Gallegos.
Max Farrell, ’26, is using his award to help translate and contextualize archival interview recordings from the Delaware Valley Holocaust Project. The recordings feature former NAU professor Leon Poullada, who served as a legal investigator during the Nuremberg Trials after World War II before later settling in Flagstaff and teaching at NAU.
Farrell hopes to reconnect the NAU and Flagstaff communities with the story of a faculty member whose experiences intersected with one of the most significant moments in modern history. He plans to present his findings at NAU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium this spring.
“What truly inspires me is watching students step into the role of leaders—not just participants—as they identify real community needs and work creatively to find meaningful solutions,” says Quinn. “In doing so, they discover that leadership is not about having all the answers, but about asking the thoughtful questions, listening deeply, and persisting when solutions aren’t obvious.”
Drickamer hopes the projects supported through the fund will continue to grow and inspire new ideas across campus and the broader community.
“The NAU Honors College is deeply grateful to Professors Drickamer and Sellers for entrusting us to carry on their legacy of community engagement,” says Honors College Dean Kevin Gustafson. “Our students are looking to make a positive impact, and the Drickamer-Sellers Professorship and Award will ensure that NAU Honors continues to provide opportunities for them to develop academic skills and make valuable contributions to the university, Flagstaff, and the region.”
