With more MBA women in line to become the next generation of top corporate officers, there is a growing need for female role models in the classroom. This presents a challenge for business educators, since for many years most of the nation's chief business leaders have been men, and the majority of business school cases feature male executives.

In the fall, a new initiative was launched to support the development of case studies featuring women business leaders in key roles. The effort, the Marjorie Alfus/Committee of 200 Fund at HBS, is an unusual collaboration between three parties: Marjorie Alfus, a retired Kmart executive who now concentrates on the real-estate and stock markets; the Committee of 200 (C200), a national organization of women business executives; and the School.

"Women, no matter what their level of confidence or success, are always looking for role models. This new initiative will provide corroboration for women that they can achieve their highest goals," says Alfus, whom HBS Dean Kim B. Clark praises as a catalyst for the venture. A longtime member of C200, Alfus will chair an advisory council made up of C200 members who have agreed to participate in the case study program. This group will also work with HBS faculty and students in programs to encourage women to pursue high-level careers in management. C200 will assist the initiative by helping to identify women who are key decision-makers and asking them to serve as subjects in HBS case studies. "We wanted to do something that creates a legacy," says Victoria Jackson, chairman of C200 and CEO of Nashville-based ProDiesel. "This initiative will have a powerful, long-term impact - for both men and women."

Since HBS is the world's leading producer and distributor of case studies, the significance of this enterprise will reach well beyond Soldiers Field. "This project will be of great importance in the world of management education," says Clark. "The faculty is determined to make it a success." To demonstrate its commitment to the effort, in addition to encouraging faculty members to seek women protagonists in their research, the School is matching the generous financial support of Alfus and C200.

The creation of the fund was announced last October at C200's fifteenth anniversary celebration in Chicago, which was attended by Senior Associate Dean for External Relations F. Warren McFarlan and Assistant Professor Myra M. Hart. Hart, a key player in last November's Women Leading Business Executive Education seminar (see page 32), will coordinate the program at HBS for the Division of Research.

Following national media coverage of the initiative, dozens of letters and e-mails from HBS graduates around the world praised the effort and its potential impact. All those with suggestions for relevant cases are encouraged to e-mail Hart at mhart@hbs.edu.

Photograph by Roark Johnson

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