On Nov. 17 in the Gallery Theatre, James Nevels ’74 was honored by the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa when he spoke on behalf of his time at the University and how it prepared him for a successful career. After majoring in political science and philosophy at the University, Nevels got his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and worked for The Swarthmore Group, Inc.

Nevels’ lecture focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as he explained how he applies concepts of doing the right thing even if it is more difficult. Nevels, who works for the Hershey Company, said the company does not stand for child labor and there are no traces of child labor in any products made by the company. CSR is something that Nevel finds to be genuine and something that builds the character of a company.

Before becoming the non-executive Chairman of the Board of the Hershey Company, Nevels was a homesick first-year University student in 1970. He grew out of his fear of being a first-year once he realized what a special community the University was, explaining that his professors gave him the strength to “love learning for the sake of learning.”

Nevels also expressed that students should enjoy all that the University has to offer. Nevels looks back on his professors for being the most inspiring to him.

“I met the most remarkable people at Bucknell. My thoughts to college students now would be to absorb what you can from those who are willing to give. A passion for learning is an amazing thing to have. Find a subject you really love and you can apply it to real life in whatever ways you want,” Nevels said.