BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech President Charles Steger presided over commencement for the last time as the university awarded about 5,000 degrees.

The Roanoke Times reports that Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board President Matthew Winston told the Lane Stadium crowd that Steger has signed nearly 110,000 diplomas since becoming president in 2000. Steger is retiring effective May 31.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe was Friday’s commencement speaker. He tanked Steger, calling him a “true Virginia leader and the very embodiment of the motto, ‘That I may serve.’

Then the governor offered his advice to graduates: “Think big, take chances and don’t be afraid to fail.”

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Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com

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