The John A. Lonsak Student Film Production Fund

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the establishment of The John A. Lonsak Student Film Production Fund. This new endowment fund was created to support production costs on film projects for students in the School of Film & Media Arts.

The Student Film Production Fund was established in the spring of 2019. Funding will become available in the fall of 2020 to full-time students in junior/senior year, with preference given to BFA thesis projects. There is a competitive process to receive project funds as applicants must submit a complete description of the funding need as it relates to storytelling, a script, production plans, and a detailed project budget. All applications must have a faculty letter of endorsement. Recipients are selected by a committee involving Frederic Lahey, Director of the School of Film & Media Arts, and Dr. Allyson Robichaud, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

John Lonsak graduated from Cleveland State University in 1968 with a BA in Social Work, after which he earned his Master of Library Science from Case Western Reserve University. His passion for libraries began when his mother would regularly take him to story hours at the Eastman branch of the Cleveland Public Library. He began his library career in 1968 at the Cuyahoga County Public Library as a Young Adult Intern. He held numerous positions throughout his career at the library and was appointed Executive Director in 1996, a position he held until his retirement in 2003. In January 2004, he became the Executive Director of the Rocky River Public Library and served there until his final retirement in 2010.

John was a long-time member of many civic and community organizations, including the American Library Association. During his many decades of service, he was honored with the Director Award by the Ohio Library Council and was named the Librarian of the Year for his development of a universal library card to increase the ease with which the public could access library materials.

John’s continued interest in and passion for education, and film, is what inspired him to create this endowment in support of CSU’s School of Film & Media Arts. He stated, “When I learned Cleveland State University would be instituting a School of Film & Media Arts, I was eager to support it. A film school is a welcome addition to a great university and Cleveland, which opens a wealth of opportunities for individuals working in the film industry. I’ve been a film lover most of my life; I commend all who worked to make this a worthwhile adventure.”

Prior to creating this endowment, Mr. Lonsak also created an annual scholarship (2015-2019), which benefitted students majoring in history. Cleveland State University and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences are grateful to him for his generosity in support of our students. Dr. Allyson Robichaud, CLASS Interim Dean, stated: “John’s gift is a wonderful thing. Such support will help to enlarge our students’ experiences as budding filmmakers.”