Being honored at the special awards dinner are Lynne M. Doll, president of Rogers and Associates, one of the leading public relations firms in the country; Patsy Flanigan, president, CEO and co-founder of Flanigan Farms Natural Foods Co. and a nationally-recognized advocate for small businesses; and Charles H. Noski, vice chairman, chief financial officer and member of the board of AT&T, the world's premier voice, data, and video communications company.

"This is one of the premier events of the university," said D.G. "Gray" Mounger, assistant vice president of alumni relations. "It is important for us to honor these people because they serve as role models not only for our students, but their peers. They demonstrate the ability of our alumni to make a mark not only in their chosen field, but on the world."

CSUN's fourth annual "Distinguished Alumni Awards" dinner is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with a reception followed by a dinner and program at 7:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by the university's Alumni Association. It is presented to individuals who have achieved a high level of success in their chosen fields of endeavor, thus bringing distinction to themselves and their alma mater.

Doll graduated from CSUN in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. Shortly after graduation, she joined the staff at Rogers and Associates where she amassed extensive experience in developing strategic communications programs in such diverse areas as consumer product marketing, health care, telecommunications, state agencies, non-profits and public utilities.

For six years, she led the public sector practice at the agency, conducting several long-term public education campaigns on such subjects as the battle against teen smoking, reducing drug use among the young and curbing the spread of AIDS.

Doll has won several professional awards, including "Outstanding PR Professional" in 1998 by the Los Angeles chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She was recently named to PRWeek'slist of "Forty PR Stars Under 40."

Flanigan graduated in 1979 from CSUN, where she studied food science with the hope of applying what she learned to Flanigan Farms, one of California's largest natural food vendors which she and her husband established nearly a decade before.

In 1998, the California Chamber of Commerce recognized Flanigan as the "Small Business Advocate of the Year" and in 2000 she was presented the "Entrepreneur Award" by the Roundtable for Women in Food Service. She has been elected to the White House Conference on Small Business and has helped formulate the Small Business Agenda, which was presented to Congress and the White House.

Charles H. Noski graduated from CSUN in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He earned a master's in accounting from the university in 1995.

Shortly after leaving the university, the first time, Noski joined the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, where he became a partner in 1983. Eventually, he became the firm's national industry director for services to the aerospace and defense industry.

He joined Hughes Electronics in 1990 as corporate vice president and controller, serving as the company's chief accounting officer. In 1992, Hughes named Noski vice chairman and chief financial officer. During this time, he returned to CSUN to receive his master's. He eventually became the company's president.

In 1999, AT&T hired Noski as its senior executive vice president and chief financial officer. Last month, he was named vice chairman, chief financial officer and member of the board. (Editor's note: Photos available upon request.)