The Palm Desert Campus of Cal State San Bernardino is hosting a special gala to celebrate and support its hospitality management program.

“A Taste of Spain,” an evening of sangria, tapas, paella, roast pork and flamenco music, will take place on Sunday, March 13, from 5-8 p.m. at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert.

The gala will be a festive event that will showcase program developments, introduce students, and feature famous foods from Spain and a flamenco guitarist from Madrid.

The Coachella Valley has a $7.5 billion hospitality and tourism industry. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of qualified applicants for managerial positions. To tackle this issue, the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus launched a world-class hospitality management program that is attracting the best students from the Coachella Valley and beyond.

“The gala is part of the curriculum and special project for the Meetings and Event Planning course,” said Joe Tormey, director of the hospitality management program at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus. “Each fall, students assist in planning a large-scale event to generate support for scholarships, study abroad opportunities and internships. The gala affords students the opportunity for experiential learning and serves as a platform to not only celebrate the accomplishments of students and the hospitality management program, but also to acknowledge the tremendous support from sponsors and donors.”

Individual event tickets are $150 and sponsorship opportunities start at $1,500.

To purchase tickets or for more information, contact Regina Garrison at rgarriso@csusb.edu or (909) 537-8221. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Joe Tormey at joseph.tormey@csusb.edu or (909) 537-8213.

All proceeds from the event support CSUSB’s hospitality management program.

Event sponsors include Visit Greater Palm Springs, JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, Desert Champions - Indian Wells Tennis Garden, The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa, The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage and Panda Express.

Learn more about the program on the CSUSB hospitality management program website.

For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the Office of Strategic Communication at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the PDC website at www.csusb.edu/pdc.