HERSHEY, Pa. — Dr. Howard G. Sachs, former provost at the University of Maine at Farmington, died at his home in Hershey, Pa., on Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

Dr. Sachs was provost at UMF from 1983 to 1987, when he joined Penn State Harrisburg as associate dean of research and graduate studies, a position he held until 2002. He then devoted himself to the classroom and to his students as a professor of biology and engineering law. He will be retired with emeritus status.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and his Ph.D. at Clark University, both in Massachusetts. He began his career teaching at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago.

He loved the field of higher education and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the disciplines that make up the modern university. Students and colleagues counted on him for his willingness to go the extra mile to support their research, writing, and academic achievements. He will be remembered for his wit, warmth and wisdom.

Dr. Sachs is survived by his wife, Martha; son, Mark, of Dedham, Mass., and daughter, Emily, of Hershey, Pa.; a brother, M. Curt Sachs of Portland; and aunts, Anne Moradpour  of New York, N.Y., and Ellen Siegel of Pompano Beach, Fla.