Virginia Tech President Charles Steger reiterated Tuesday to employees the university's desire to have the mental health records of Seung-Hui Cho released and explained the university's policies for storing records in its counseling center.

State officials are in discussions with Cho's estate to release the records and Steger said the university has "communicated this directly to the attorney for Cho's estate, Bernard DiMuro. We hope that sunshine into these records can illuminate some missing and important information about Cho in the fall of 2005."

Steger said the university learned of Cho's records on July 16, after Robert Miller, former director of Tech's Cook Counseling Center, informed the state attorney general's office. Miller returned them to the counseling center that day.

"That Dr. Miller immediately returned the records to the university is to his credit. But that he had them is troubling," Steger says in a letter to employees. "Dr. Miller's removal of these records was unauthorized and is in opposition to standard university policy and operating procedures."

Because Miller's attorney was unavailable that Friday, a teleconference involving "attorneys for all appropriate parties" was held July 19 about what course of action to take, according to the letter. The governor's office and state police were informed of the discovery that day as well. The governor's office went public with the information two days later.

Miller said last week that he took the files home accidentally as he was departing as director of the Cook Counseling Center in February 2006. Cho had three interactions with the center -- two by phone and one in person, according to officials -- in late 2005.

Steger said the counseling center now maintains electronic records only.

"In light of these events, it is important for the community to know that, in contrast to the practice in 2005, the Cook Counseling Center records are currently maintained in electronic form only. The center has kept records of appointments electronically since 1998 and transitioned to the use of full electronic records in the fall of 2006. All hard copy files are kept in a secure central facility at Virginia Tech."