is the president of Florida State University. Known by the nickname Sandy, he has served in the Florida state legislature and has been president of the American Bar Association. In his professional life as an attorney, legislator, and Dean of Florida State University Law School, he has been actively involved in developing ethical guidelines. As the president of a major university, he now has had to deal with ethical issues on many levels. He recently spoke with Journal staffer .
How did you get so deeply involved in ethical issues?
I've been drawn into them because of my interest as a lawyer and the assignments I got when I became actively involved in government service. When I was elected to the Florida state legislature in 1966, the vast majority of us in the Florida House of Representatives were first-time members. We faced a number of ethical questions, but we didn't have very many guidelines. So, as much for the protection of the members as for anything else, we felt having a code of ethics was important. Then I was involved in helping to draft and pass the constitutional amendment on ethics in Florida, and I also chaired the first ethics commission in the state.
