Innovators welcome.
How do you C.A.P.T.U.R.E. the entrepreneurial spirit?
With Curiosity, Ambition, Passion, Tenacity, Unique perspectives, Resourcefulness, and Excitement.
The Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellows (Graham Fellows) is a distinguished interdisciplinary program of York College of Pennsylvania. Attracting motivated, creative, and diverse students from all majors and programs, Graham Fellows offers robust opportunities and financial support for cross-disciplinary collaborations in research, business start-ups, program development, and global experiences.
This fellowship application is currently open for Fall 2025.
Program Benefits
Join a Team of Motivated Fellow Students
The Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellowship program invests in students' committed to positively impacting their local and global communities. Program components include skill-building and experience in design-thinking, research and action planning, cross-disciplinary collaboration, professional and intercultural communication, and financial management.
Enhance Your Curriculum
In coordination with your major or program’s curriculum, you’ll participate in honors coursework, co-curricular professional and academic development activities, collaborative innovation projects , a paid interdisciplinary internship, and summer programming, including a two-week global learning experience.
Engage in International Collaboration
You'll have the opportunity to co-plan and participate in an international group travel experience, to advance cultural competency and global understanding, build academic expertise, improve communication skills, and innovate with students at a host institution. In some cases, collaborating students may showcase their work in shared conference presentations or publications.
Transform Ideas into Action
The series of Graham Fellows honors classes teach key entrepreneurial skills such as design thinking, research, communication, marketing, and management, as well as, program planning, grant applications, and budgeting to supplement your major field of study. Through this coursework, you’ll collaborate with other Fellows to innovate new projects, programs, or approaches and receive faculty, peer, and financial support to see them through implementation.
Learn from Faculty Experts
Graham Fellows honors classes are led by expert faculty from a wide variety of disciplines, using a student-centered curriculum. Your cohort will also be matched with a faculty mentor who will provide academic guidance and help you maximize internal and external opportunities, set individualized goals, and prepare for your future career.
Gain Interdisciplinary and Real-World Experience
York College partners with local leaders in business, technology, education, government, arts and culture, social services, and other fields to mentor you through an interdisciplinary internship. Additionally, if you have an interest in research, you have the option of working with a faculty member or research organization to build your skills and portfolio.
Program Details
Learn more about applying and participating in the Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellows program.
The Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellows Program seeks individuals who demonstrate a strong interest in moving ideas into action. Graham Fellows are innovators who are passionate about identifying and fulfilling the needs of their fields and in their communities.
If you are interested, please complete the application on the Honors Program Website. You will be asked to write a brief essay and provide a 5-minute video.
NOTE: As members of this program, Graham Fellows are expected to engage in specialized (honors) coursework and extracurricular activities to develop their skills and build their networks. To be considered for the Graham Fellows Program, you should have a minimum of a 2.5 cumulative high school GPA and experience balancing academics (school) and additional responsibilities, such as family, a job, clubs, volunteer work, or a sports team.
Each Graham Fellow will:
- Achieve at a high level in both academic and co-curricular work
- Fully participate in Pre-Fall, Fall, and Spring Graham Fellows Honors classes (1 credit each)
- Attend co-curricular programming aligned with Graham Fellows mission and goals
- Engage in an PAID interdisciplinary internship experience that supports their personal and career goals
- Collaborate with students abroad during a summer global learning experience
- As a senior, mentor incoming Fellows, providing advice and setting a positive example
Mission of the Graham Fellows
Our mission is to support forward-thinking students at York College of Pennsylvania in achieving their academic, entrepreneurial, and creative aspirations, while preparing them for successful careers in their chosen discipline.
We are committed to providing the resources, guidance, and opportunities to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit, move ideation to implementation, and foster global connectivity. By preparing students with the skills needed to excel as collaborators, communicators, and innovators, we aim to prepare them for lasting success and impactful contributions.
Vision of the Graham Fellows
We envision a thriving cooperative of diverse York College of Pennsylvania students who are not only academically accomplished but also equipped to lead, innovate, and excel in entrepreneurial and innovative endeavors across disciplines in an ever-evolving world. Through unwavering support, cutting-edge resources, and a commitment to excellence, we aspire to cultivate creative, conscientious leaders who are adaptable, visionary, and prepared to make meaningful impacts on their local and global communities.
Donald Graham, York Area Businessman and Philanthropist
The Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellows Program is made possible through the generosity of Donald C. Graham. Mr. Graham is well-known in the York area for his philanthropy and business acumen. He is invested in the success of each of our Fellows, and we are very grateful for his vision and support.
Biography of Donald Graham
Donald C. Graham was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 25th, 1933. Today, he's well-known in the York area for his philanthropy and business acumen. He has been the driving force behind Graham Engineering, Graham Packaging, and many other York-based companies that have a widespread reach.
Don graduated from the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1955 and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Management in 1956. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Don was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, and was a member of the U-M chapter of the American Society of Tool Engineers. Don was also a member of the Engineering Honor Council, which oversees the administration of the College of Engineering Honor Code.
Don is a registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan and York College of Pennsylvania for his many accomplishments and contributions to benefit the institutions.
Don and his wife Ingrid have been married for over 56 years. They have five children: Steve, Kristi, Ken, Richie, and Erik, as well as 17 grandchildren.
The Making of an Innovator
Don's work and business life began as a young boy delivering newspapers, cleaning toilets, and setting bowling pins at the University of Michigan Student Union, fixing and selling old cars, and later working as a machinist at Electro Arc Corp.
After college, Don's professional life started with Baker Perkins in Saginaw, Michigan. A stint in the Army brought Don to the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland, where he earned a critical skills accreditation in the chemical weapons group. He moved on to Read Machinery Corp. in York, Pennsylvania (later Read Standard Corp.) as Chief Engineer for Specialty Products, and then went to Read's parent company, Capitol Products, as Vice President of Technology.
Don left Capitol Products in 1960 to start Graham Engineering in the basement of a rented farmhouse in Dover, Pennsylvania with no capital and one employee. Graham Engineering grew from a design services firm into a diversified group of custom manufacturing companies with leading international positions in specialty machinery, plastic packaging and architectural window systems, which subsequently led to the formation of The Graham Group.
The Graham Group has since grown to include Graham Capital Company, Graham Partners, Inverness Graham Investments, Striker Partners and Graham Software Development. The investment companies have in turn invested in over thirty companies in building products, packaging, medical instruments, aerospace, electronics, communications, business services and information technologies.
Still located in York, Pennsylvania are Graham Packaging, Graham Engineering, Graham Architectural Products and Graham Capital, however the Graham Group has a wide geographic reach that until recently included Berry Plastics, which is listed on the NY Stock Exchange, and for which Don served on the Board of Directors. In 2011, Graham Group sold its last holdings in Graham Packaging which had by then grown to over $3.5 billion in annual sales.
