Former University of North Texas President Norval F. Pohl died Tuesday evening at his Arizona home, according to university faculty members and friends.

Dr. Pohl, 65, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer last year. Despite several successful treatments, his health spiraled downward Tuesday evening, said Paula King, a former assistant to Dr. Pohl and special assistant to the dean of library and information services at the university.

"It has been a shock, it happened so fast," she said.

Dr. Pohl served as UNT's 13th president from 2000 to 2006. He was executive vice president and provost in 1999.

His accomplishments included building the College of Engineering, converting an old Texas Instruments facility into UNT's Discovery Park and developing a student recreation center later named in his honor.

"His vision was through his students, he was very student-centered, and his vision was to make it a student-centered university," Ms. King said.

Dr. Pohl was not only a mentor, but a friend, said Dustee Tucker, a former UNT Student Government Association vice president and former president of the Panhellenic Council.

Ms. Tucker said Dr. Pohl would always listen to students and offer her advice on her future.

"He really wanted to build a bridge between students and administration," she said. "He recognized the importance of letting students be students."

UNT President Gretchen Bataille said in a news release: "As president, Dr. Pohl personified dedication and engagement and contributed greatly to the success of UNT and its students. Dr. Pohl fostered a vibrant campus life, best illustrated by the Pohl Recreation Center that bears his name, and the athletic center that is the anchor of Mean Green Village and provides a first-class athletic and academic environment for our student-athletes."

Dr. Pohl played a key role in the growth of athletics both at UNT and in the Sun Belt Conference.

UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal credited Dr. Pohl with helping the department acquire the former Liberty Christian High School campus and convert it into part of the Mean Green Athletic Village. The campus now contains athletic facilities that include the Mean Green Volleyball Center, the Mean Green Student-Athlete Academic Center and offices for several of the school's coaches.

"Norval gave you the space you needed to do your work and helped the school get out of that stereotype that you couldn't do things at North Texas," Villarreal said. "He was always there to pick up a phone or meet with you and talk about ideas and how they would benefit the university."

Dr. Pohl also served as the president of the Sun Belt Conference's executive committee from 2002 to 2004, a time when the league went through a dramatic overhaul.

"That was a wild period in the league," Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said. "Dr. Pohl was a voice of reason. We were in it for the long run, and he saw things 10 to 15 years out. He understood what we needed to do to be a I-A league. Not everyone saw that. He saw it and understood the importance of it."

Dr. Pohl's time at UNT was the pinnacle of his career, and he had many great friends in the Denton area, said his son, Prescott Pohl.

Dr. Pohl was chancellor and provost of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott, Ariz., campus before stepping down last year to focus on his health and family.

He worked on various special projects with Embry-Riddle until his death, UNT officials said.

In addition to his son, Dr. Pohl is survived by his wife of 38 years, Dr. Barbikay Pohl, and another son, Chandler Pohl, among other family members.

The family will have a private service in Hughson, Calif.

A public memorial service will be held at Embry-Riddle's Prescott campus in mid-June, said Barbara Martens, associate director of development at the university.

Memorials may be made to the Pohl Memorial Scholarship, Office of Development, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 3700 Willow Creek Road, Prescott, Ariz., 86301.

ccarlisle@dentonrc.com; bvito@dentonrc.com