The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism’s purpose is to educate and train students, from all over the world, to become accomplished professional journalists. The school prepares them to perform a vital and challenging function in free societies: finding out the truth of complicated situations, usually under a time constraint, and communicating it in a clear, engaging fashion to the public. The school also educates scholars of communications and journalism, and functions as a significant guiding force in journalism and inculcates in its students the habit of thinking of themselves as leaders for change and improvement in the profession.