Biz Buzz

The Dog Compound. If you've experienced a bite of the Doghouse's Hot Dog Stand, then you're going to have to take a bigger bite as it has plans to expand around town. This weekend, Doghouse hosts a grand opening party for its new expanded hours at Mercury Lounge, 1747 S. Boston. With Sam and the Stylees as well as EgoCulture performing, families, music-lovers and more can come out to enjoy the party as well as a hot dog eating contest Saturday, May 22. If you've enjoyed the "Dogplate" into the early hours of the morning, now you can have a chance to grab a bite for lunch, too, as they're open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-2:30am at Mercury. On top of that, they're expanding to five locations throughout the city that were still being negotiated as of press time. Their website plans to go up live by the end of the week, and you'll be able to find out locations near you there. For more information, visit the coming-soon site at doghousetulsa.com.

Changing History. The Coury Collection, a consultant agency that develops and manages boutique hospitality properties, recently grew its portfolio with the McBirney Mansion, 1414 S. Galveston. The mansion, a part of the National Register of Historic Places, will be undergoing a number of upgrades and developments to its current property, which includes painting, new bedding and furnishings as well as linens. The Coury Collection also has plans to add the carriage house as an option for rental as well. The developments are a part of McBirney Mansion's plans to increase appeal to business travelers throughout the week, not just during the weekend. For more information on McBirney Mansion, visit mcbirneymansion.com.

Dawg's Day Out. The Doghouse Hot Dog Stand has a bit of competition as the Junkyard Dawg recently opened its doors at 6011 S. Mingo. "Oklahomans, especially Tulsans, have been eating Coneys or an occasional sausage for many years," said owner Don Rucks. "Now, we have simply brought the best all together for customers to really enjoy." Some of the restaurant's offerings include the T-Town Pup, which is a traditional Tulsa Coney dog, the Junkyard Dawg, which is a seven-inch all-beef hot dog, plus sausage links such as the Hot Diggity hot link and the Bada Bing. The family-owned establishment hopes to make a name for itself with its brand of dawgs. For more information, call 740-9498.

Reporter

St. Gregory's University announced the addition of five new academic programs. The decision, approved by the faculty at its recent spring meeting, results in academic offerings in the fields of Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing and Information System Management.

The new programs are available beginning in the upcoming Fall 2010 semester.

"This expansion of the business department will better meet the needs of our students as they prepare for successful careers and successful lives," said SGU Provost Richard Ludwick, J.D., D.Ed. "We look forward to partnering in this effort with businesses in Oklahoma and beyond, while leveraging the support of our international network of alumni."

Ludwick said the University is constantly looking for ways to improve and expand its academic offerings. Just four years ago SGU successfully implemented a Master of Science in Management/Healthcare degree through its College for Working Adults.

SGU has a strong tradition of promoting responsible citizenship and concern for the challenges of society, said business faculty member Brother Damian Whalen, O.S.B., Ph.D.

"As a liberal arts institution in the Catholic and Benedictine tradition, St. Gregory's recognizes the need to prepare students for leadership positions by integrating ethics and Catholic social teaching into each of the business programs," he said.

The new programs join an already solid foundation in the liberal arts, the heart of which is a four-semester common core curriculum program. "Tradition and Conversation" offers students the opportunity to engage some of the greatest minds and discuss some of the most influential texts of the Western and Catholic intellectual traditions in a seminar format.

St. Gregory's University is an authentically Roman Catholic University. Founded in 1875, it is Oklahoma's oldest institution of higher learning. Further information regarding St. Gregory's University can be found at www.stgregorys.edu or by calling 1-888-STGREGS.

The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Harwelden Awards. This year's winners were recognized at a luncheon on Tuesday, May 18 at Tulsa Community College's Center for Creativity. The Harwelden Awards have been presented since 1984 to honor individuals, corporations and organizations that have been exemplary advocates and supporters of the arts and humanities in our community.

The 2010 honorees include: the Kathleen P. Westby Lifetime Award presented to E. Ann Graves, a long-time arts supporter, the Liddy K. Doenges Individual Award presented to Jackie Kouri, chair of Tulsa Ballet, the Benedict I. Lubell Corporate Award presented to Spirit AeroSystems for its many contributions to the arts and arts education, and the John L. Everitt Non-Profit Award presented to The Judith & Jean Pape Adams Charitable Foundation for its support of the arts, especially music.

Artist and teacher, Tracey Harris, is the recipient of the prestigious $5,000 Jingle Feldman Individual Artist Award for 2010. Harris is a single mother and will use her award to prepare artworks for three exhibitions of her work this year, two local and one in Massachusetts.

This year's winner of the Bart Betow Memorial Music Education Award is Valerie Batchelor of Hayward Smith Elementary school in Owasso. This award of $5,000 is given to the winner's institution and recognizes someone in music education who has made a real difference in children's lives.

The Mayfest Young Artists Awards were established in 2000 in an effort to encourage the development of young peoples' artistic interests. This year's talented winners represent the fields of visual and performing arts and creative writing. Each recipient receives a $500 scholarship. This year's winners are: Jacob Bloomfield, Metro Christian Academy, Quynh Bui, Victory Christian School; Brittan Jenkins, Union High School; Chris Mosz, Edison Preparatory School; and Rachel Stromberg, Booker T. Washington.

The Jenk Jones of the Tribune Scholarship is designed to encourage local youth to develop a lifelong passion for excellence in writing. This award carries a $1,000 scholarship for each of five students. This year's talented winners are: Sarah Daggett, Carlos Lopez, Leah Gray, and Kayla Statham all from Union High School, and Natalie Hicks from Jenks High School.

The Rosalind Cook Artistic Encouragement Award was established to provide art supplies for Tulsa-area third and fourth year high school art students. Four awards of $500 each are being awarded to: Edison Preparatory High School and teacher Julie Thomas; Owasso High School and teacher Cathy Franklin; TRAICE Academy and teacher Kathy Blakemore; and Will Rogers High School and teacher Julie Johnston.

According to Ken Busby, Executive Director & CEO of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, a total of $20,000 is being awarded in prize and scholarship money during this year's Harwelden Awards. "It's wonderful," Busby said, "to have so many generous donors who are providing encouragement of artistic creativity for students, teachers, and artists. And this year's four Harwelden Award recipients are outstanding examples of the spirit of philanthropy."

The Harwelden Awards luncheon is sold out. For media inquiries, please contact Rusty Kidd at rkidd@ahct.org or 584.3333, x12.

Mission Failure

As expected, the City Council voted to reject Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr.'s attempted appointment of former District 4 Councilor Eric Gomez to the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission on May 14.

The council voted 6-3 against the move after a number of councilors had publicly expressed opposition to Gomez's appointment in the days leading up to the vote, citing concerns about his alleged ties to the development industry. Councilors Jim Mautino, Maria Barnes, Bill Christiansen, Chris Trail, Jack Henderson and Roscoe Turner voted against the appointment, while Rick Westcott, John Eagleton and G.T. Bynum voted for it.

Gomez himself had expressed doubts his appointment would be confirmed, but he said if councilors rejected the move, it would be solely for political reasons and not because he was unqualified for the position.

Bartlett now has 60 days to forward another appointment to the council. Gomez was the second Bartlett appointee to be rejected for the position.