We extend our most sincere sympathy to the family of Dr. James A. Schobel, who passed away Oct. 10, 2023 from complications of Parkinson's Disease. Dr. Schobel served as president of Mayville State from 1973 to 1993.
October 30, 2023
James Schobel, 80, of Lakeville, Minn., former college President of Mayville State University in North Dakota and Lees McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on Oct. 10, 2023. A native of Lorain, Ohio, Jim received his academic degrees and Ph.D. from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a concentration in Economics and Higher Education. He served as the first intern for former President Vernon Alden at Ohio University. After positions at Pittsburg State University and Dakota Wesleyan University, Jim assumed the presidency at Mayville State University at the age of 29.
Jim was chairman of the Rocky Mountain states division of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors, North Dakota state representative to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and completed travels assisting emerging academic institutions abroad for the US State Department. He was treasurer of the North Carolina Humanities Council, among other boards in North Dakota and North Carolina. He also received a degree from the Institute of Educational Management at Harvard University and was a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC.
Survivors include his wife Jane and daughter Mary Blilie (Nathan Blilie) of Elko, MN and their children Matthew of Seattle, WA and Elizabeth of Elko, MN; son Joe Schobel (Jody Price Schobel) of Lakeville, MN and their children Max of Cleveland, OH and Anne of Lakeville, MN; son Scott Schobel of Zurich, Switzerland and his children Alexander, Ian and Leo; daughter Emily Schobel of Rochester, MN; brother Raymond Schobel, Tempe, AZ; sister Susan Crane (Jeff Crane) of Tucson, AZ; brother-in-law Mark Moore (Patty Lee) of Berlin, WI; and nieces and nephews. A celebration of life will take place at a later date.