The Cal State San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus hosted a gala at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa on March 13 to support and celebrate its hospitality management program.

“A Taste of Spain” showcased program developments and featured famous foods from Spain and a flamenco guitarist from Madrid. Desserts were prepared by students in the culinary arts program at College of the Desert.

Students in the program shared their stories about how impactful the program has been for them.

“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.”

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 the hospitality management program.

“I’m incredibly proud of our new hospitality management program, which is offered exclusively at Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus,” said CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales. “Our program at the PDC offers a wide variety of internships and career pathways in the Coachella Valley, the Inland Empire and beyond. We are providing students from the Valley, and even farther afield, access to a top-flight educational opportunity right here, which will assist them to get post-college employment and will also strengthen the region’s economy".

“CSUSB’s Palm Desert Campus is embedded in the community and committed to the community’s health and growth,” Morales said. “We are incredibly grateful for the partnerships we have been able to advance between our university and the business community in the Valley. Those partnerships are already changing lives, and programs like this predict a bright future ahead of us.”

Event sponsors included: Platinum, Visit Greater Palm Springs; Gold, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Silver, Desert Champions at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, Agua Caliente Casinos; Bronze, Thomas and Patricia Scaramellino, Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa, John D. Welty and Sharon Brown-Welty, Oak View Group, The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, College of the Desert; and Special Acknowledgment, David Feltman.

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.