One of the best parts of business school can happen outside the classroom, says Pam Allio, a second-year M.B.A. student at UC Davis. She and 30 other students volunteer their growing entrepreneurial expertise to help a fledgling nonprofit organization, called A New Legacy, dedicated to preventing chemical dependency among children in the Sacramento area. "This program not only provides us with an opportunity to use our management skills; our commitment to the organization's success allows us to give something back to the community," says Allio. "We can pull everything we've learned in marketing, finance and organizational-behavior classes and put it into operation." The students have made their presence felt, according to A New Legacy's executive director, Olive Jimison. "As consultants, they have given us much-needed organizational restructuring, including revamping our information system." Organized by philanthropic-minded UC Davis students such as Allio, the 1-year-old program gives future M.B.A.s a launching pad to exercise their business knowledge beyond the classroom. In addition to giving these students a real-life learning experience, the project provides a service to the community and strengthens ties between the university and business community.