One stupid mistake can cost you everything. Perhaps no one knows that better than David C. England.

On March 12, while Mr. England was president of Des Moines Area Community College, some 20 Iowa narcotics agents raided his home and found a smoky room and more than two pounds of packaged marijuana along with some seedlings. That day, as agents searched his cozy suburban house, Mr. England, 51, thought, "My life is over."

To be sure, his career in higher education may be. After resigning the presidency and resolving the criminal charges with a plea bargain, Mr. England is hoping to write a book about his experience and has started applying for administrative jobs at two-year colleges. But many who believed in him simply shake their heads and wonder why he threw it all away.

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