Charles William Steger Jr. (June 16, 1947 – May 6, 2018) was an American architect and engineer who was the 15th president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. He graduated in 1969 from Virginia Tech, where he also received his master's in architecture and Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering. Steger served at Virginia Tech at nearly every level possible. He was a Virginia Tech student, instructor (where he won two teaching excellence awards and co-authored a textbook now in its seventh edition), academic department head, college dean (the youngest dean of any college of architecture in the US), vice president, and finally president. In Steger's previous position as Vice President for Development and University Relations, he served as director of a six-year campaign which exceeded its $250 million goal raising $337.4 million with over 71,000 donors. On May 14, 2013, Steger announced that he would step down as the President of Virginia Tech. He was succeeded on June 1, 2014 by Timothy D. Sands, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Purdue University. Steger died on May 6, 2018 in his home in Blacksburg. Accomplishments as president Steger's early years as president focused on expanding Virginia Tech's continuing education and outreach programs beyond the main Blacksburg campus. Under his administration, Virginia Tech created the Center for European Studies and Architecture in Switzerland and the Washington-Alexandria Center for Architecture near Washington, D.C. Steger was also instrumental in the creation of Virginia Tech's Public Service Office in downtown Richmond. Most recently, Steger's administration was instrumental in the establishment of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute which will focus on research efforts to end disease, expand the world's food supply, and environmental protection. In an effort to draw many research and outreach activities together, Steger's administration also created the Virginia Tech Institute for Information Technology. Awards and appointments Steger was appointed to the Governor's Commission on Population Growth and Development. He also served on the Board of Trustees of Hollins University. In addition to his duties as Virginia Tech president, he also served as president of the Endowment Foundation Center in the Square in Roanoke, Virginia. Steger also was a director on the Boswil Foundation in Zürich, Switzerland. The Swiss Ambassador to the United States and the World Bank asked Steger to serve on a committee to establish a foundation in the United States