04/24/19
By Kurt Beyers
University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. – For 25 years now, one of the largest advertising companies on the planet, Leo Burnett Worldwide, has been sending people to Fort Hays State University to cultivate the talent pool with money for scholarships and for the graphic design program.

This year was Tuan Huynh’s third trip to his alma mater as part of the Leo Burnett entourage. He and two colleagues distributed a total $25,000. Huynh was offered a job as a junior art director with Burnett right after graduation with a Fort Hays State BFA in graphic design in 2014.

It feels great, he said, to come back and recognize talent with money.

“It feels fantastic,” he said, adding that it is in keeping with the culture both of Leo Burnett and Fort Hays State.

“It’s looking at the individual, and dealing with the individual, and looking at the person, looking at the human being and their talent,” he said, “and on the Fort Hays State side, Chaiwat and Karrie have always embodied that. It’s about the person first and foremost and how they teach us, from ideas to projects. They care about us as individuals not just as students. In their classrooms, they care about us as persons.”

That is Chaiwat Thumsujarit (pronounced chye-WHAT TUM-sue-jair-it), professor of art and design, and Karrie Simpson Voth, chair of the Department of Art and Design and graphic design professor.

The good feeling about what was happening was evident in the awards ceremony, which was far less ceremonial than it was like a pre-party for the celebration that followed at Gella’s Diner.

Huynh (pronounced hwin) and his Leo Burnett colleagues, Kerri Soukup, a 1997 FHSU grad, and Tracie Roberson, were obviously having a good time giving Leo Burnett money to FHSU students.

Announcing the top prize, the $10,000 Pencil Award, they joined together in a chorus for the winner’s name: “rrr-ray-AAAY-von!” for Rayvon Lewis, a Blue Springs, Mo., junior who gave up football to follow his dreams in art.

After the program, Huynh talked for a few minutes at table in a corner of the back meeting room at Gella’s. The little room held around 40 people – students, the people from Leo Burnett, Simpson Voth and Thumsujarit, friends and other alumni of the FHSU graphic arts program come to help celebrate.

“I think as a student, as a former student, you can only appreciate someone coming back and recognizing your talent because someone gave you the opportunity by recognizing your talent,” he said.

In Huynh’s memory, it is the people in the program, students and faculty, who stand out. Born in Vietnam, he grew up in Wichita and came to Fort Hays State at age 33 with an associate degree in liberal arts and humanities from Donnelly College in Kansas City. He had no art or design background, but he had raw talent.

“My professors, my classmates, they all accepted me, despite me not knowing a lot about graphic design going into the program,” he said.

“I was never shunned because of my ignorance of what graphic design is. They have taken me under their wing and been patient with me and taught me everything. My classmates embodied the same spirit. We helped each other.”

Asked specifically what makes FHSU’s graphic design program special, his answer came with no hesitation.

“A hundred percent, it’s the conceptual aspect of it,” he said. “I consider our design program a conceptual design program – not just a design program – a conceptual program, a conceptual design program, because we put so much into ideation of a project to conceptualize an idea before the work is created.”

He illustrated what he meant with an example.

“One year I had an intern from here. I put her in every project I worked on. I challenged her as we were talking and concepting. I put her in big meetings, and I asked her, ‘What do you think about that?’ because I valued what she had to say, because she comes from good stock.”

He repeated that for emphasis. “She comes from good stock. I’d bring any of these kids” – he indicated with a wave of his arm the students talking and laughing at the tables next to him – “into a Leo Burnett brainstorming session. I would. I would.”

He continued, “When I do portfolio reviews in Chicago, all the top universities I do portfolio reviews for – I do judging and I do all kinds of stuff – one of the things they lack is conceptual idea, and that was taught that here every day.”

After about 15 minutes, he was ready to go join the students, to hear their stories share his own, but he summed up his work, the day, the money he and his colleagues had distributed, the party going on around him.

“All glory to God, man,” he said. “I’m so thankful for it. I’m living the dream, brother. I’m living the dream. I’m living on grace.”

Cutline: Tuan Huynh at the opening presentations for the Leo Burnett Worldwide competition at Fort Hays State University on Monday, April 22.