B-School To Perform Outreach

Harvard Business School students will leave their theoretical case studies behind today to visit the sites of some real world problems.

About 600 of the school's 1600 students have signed up to take part in Project Outreach, a one-day event intended to involve students in some 20 ongoing community service activities.

Among the places students will visit are a homeless shelter in the South End, a social center for the elderly in East Boston and a low-income housing project in Dorchester. Although the event officially lasts only one day, the program is designed to have participants continue working on their specific projects on a long-term basis.

"One of the purposes of the day is to have a large turnout to attract people who haven't done community service before," said Anne-Marie Weldon, one of the project's organizers. "Hopefully, they'll be interested in getting involved in more long-term activities."

Melinda B. Gould, one of the project's coordinators, attributed the event's near-record turnout to its previous success as well as a growing commitment to public service on the part of the B-School's students.

"The social needs in our society are clearly growing and people at [Harvard Business School] are aware of those needs and willing to help," Gould said.

"I think that it's a good opportunity to have a positive effect on the community," she added.

The project, now in its third year, is sponsored by the school's administration as well as several corporations and local restaurants, Gould said.