The following is courtesy of guest contributor Daniel McPherson, annual giving manager for the Office of Development.

For a couple of hours last Tuesday, you’d have thought UALR had stolen a piece of New York City. That’s because Hot Dog Mike, Little Rock’s only mobile hot dog vendor, set up shop on campus to sell his produce.

Above: Hot Dog Mike Hot Dog Justin (left) with Hot Dog Mike

Hundreds lined up outside of the development office for an opportunity to taste the dogs and meet the man (Mike Juiliano). In addition to serving the masses for lunch, Hot Dog Mike’s visit inspired a few UALR employees to make a gift to the campus campaign. As the venture to bring him on campus was a joint effort by the Campus Campaign Steering Committee and Sodexo, Mike’s visit was a win-win for both. The first words out of his mouth after selling out of hot dogs were, “Where is you guys’ cafeteria? I think I’m going to stay and eat.”

Above: Dr. Tom McMillan and Tonya Oaks Smith promoting the Campus Campaign

Moreover, this was a win for UALR. While most of the hot dog carnivores were UALR employees, several drove from off-campus or out of town, stepping foot onto UALR’s campus for the first time. “Drove up from Pine Bluff and waited darn near an hour! They were well worth it!” tweeted one customer. Much of Mike’s business comes from his loyal followers on Twitter, which is where he posts his location for each day. To learn more about Hot Dog Mike or to see where he will be serving next, follow him on Twitter: @hotdog_mike.

As to his impressions of his first time at UALR, one need only read one of his last tweets of the day: “Thank you UALR, thank you UALR and thank you UALR! Did I say thank you UALR? Love you all mean it!”

We love you too, Mike, and we want to say thanks to everyone who gave to the campaign. If you missed it, we hope you’ll show your support for UALR by donating to the campus campaign.