Kansas University’s School of Business will recognize two alumni – Peter C. Brown, chairman of AMC Entertainment Inc., and Stephen A. “Tony” Batman, chairman of 1st Global, a financial services firm – at a banquet Thursday at the Adams Alumni Center on the KU campus.

KU has honored both men with its 2008 Distinguished Alumni awards. The award was created in 1998 to honor outstanding graduates from the school. Recipients are nominated and chosen by fellow alumni and the school’s board of advisers. Leadership, business contributions and community and KU involvement are considerations for nominations.

Both men graduated from the KU School of Business in 1979.

Brown, of Kansas City, Mo., previously served on the School of Business advisory board. He is now on the executive committee and is a vice chairman of the board of directors of the National Association of Theater Owners.

Batman, a certified public accountant, is a chairman, chief executive officer and co-founder of 1st Global, a Dallas-based business development partner to wealth management firms. Batman has also served on the school’s board of advisers for accounting and information systems for the past seven years.