Sul Ross State University

Sul Ross State University

Former names	Sul Ross Normal College (1917–1923)[1] The Sul Ross State Teachers College, at Alpine (1923–1949)[2] Sul Ross State College (1949–1969)[3]
Type	Public university
Established	1917
Parent institution	Texas State University System
Academic affiliation	Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
Endowment	$17.08 million[4]
Budget	$38,343,179 (FY 2016)[4]
President	Carlos Hernandez (interim)[5]
Provost	Bernardo Cantens
Academic staff	128 (Alpine campus, Fall 2013) 43 (Rio Grande College, Fall 2013) [6]
Administrative staff	489.66 (full-time equivalent employees, 2015)[7]
Students	1,973 (Alpine campus, Fall 2015) 1,019 (Rio Grande College, Fall 2015) [8]
Location	Alpine , Texas , United States 30°21′48″N 103°39′00″W
Campus	Rural, 647.05 acres (261.85 ha)[9]
Colors	Scarlet and Grey[10]
Nickname	Lobos
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III – ASC National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
Mascot	Sully
Website	sulross.edu

Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas, United States. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuses, branded as Rio Grande College, are located in Del Rio, Uvalde, Eagle Pass, and Castroville.[11]

Named for former Texas governor and Confederate general Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the institution was founded in 1917 as Sul Ross Normal College and was made a university in 1969. It is governed by the Board of Regents of the Texas State University System.[11]

History

On April 14, 1914, Governor James E. Ferguson signed the bill selecting Alpine as the site for a normal school.

It received state university status in 1969.[12]

Campus

This section needs to be created describing the overall campus, the Everett E. Turner Range Animal Science Center, athletic properties south of the Union Pacific Railroad, west of SH 223, the programs at the old Centennial School, and the university's research working ranch near Sierra Blanca.

Organization and administration

Academics and research

Facilities and projects of interest

View of Sul Ross State University

Lawrence Hall, Sul Ross State University

• Archives of the Big Bend
• Borderlands Research Institute for Natural Resource Management[13]
• Center for Big Bend Studies
• Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute
• Chihuahuan Desert Resource, Conservation, and Development Area, Inc.
• Museum of the Big Bend
• Minority and Small Business Development Center
• Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library
• Arts in West Texas
• Rio Grande Heritage Tourism Project
• Rio Grande Research Center
• Sul Ross State University Alumni Association
• Theatre of the Big Bend
• Jim V. Richerson Invertebrate Collection
• A. Michael Powell Herbarium
• James F. Scuddy Vertebrate Collection

University memberships

• American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• American Library Association
• Association of Texas Graduate Schools
• Conference of Southern Graduate Schools
• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
• National Association of Foreign Student Affairs
• The Texas Library Association
• National Collegiate Athletic Association
• Texas Interscholastic Athletic Association

Student life

Athletics

Main article: Sul Ross State Lobos

Sul Ross State athletic teams are called the Lobos. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the Lone Star Conference.

Sul Ross State competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.[14]

In July 2023, Lobos athletic programs were approved for reclassification to Division II.[15] On July 1, 2024, the university became a member of the Lone Star Conference.[16]

Student housing

Student housing is located at Lobo Village. Lobo Village 1 (LV1) and Lobo Village 2 (LV2) are the permanent resident halls for students.[17]

Single students may live in the Lobo Village efficiency apartments in Lobo Village 3 and Lobo Village 4. To live in these apartments, students are required to be 21 or older. Family housing, for couples and students with dependent children, is located in Lobo Village 5, Lobo Village 6, and Lobo Village 7.[17] Residents of the family housing are zoned to the Alpine Independent School District, and are zoned to Alpine Elementary School, Alpine Middle School, and Alpine High School.

Rio Grande College

Sul Ross State University (SRSU) operates Rio Grande College (RGC) and SRSU distance learning centers on the campuses of Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC) in Uvalde, Del Rio, and Eagle Pass. Serving thirteen counties in Southwest Texas, RGC offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Academic programs

Rio Grande College offers college junior, senior and graduate level coursework with programs in liberal arts, business and teacher education and certification at the elementary or secondary level.[18]

Bachelor's degrees in a variety of fields including nursing, education, business, biology, criminal justice, English, Spanish, history, mathematics, psychology, social science as well as child development and organizational leadership are offered.[18]

Master's degrees in English, history, public administration, business, education, criminal justice and health and human performance are also offered.[18]

History

RGC was renamed by the Texas Legislature as Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College in 1995, recognizing its service to the broad area of the Middle Rio Grande and Wintergarden regions of Texas. Originally known as the SRSU Study Center, the college had been renamed the SRSU Uvalde Study Center in 1985 and again the SRSU Uvalde Center in 1989.[19]

Cultural diversity

The student body is multicultural and consists of traditional and non-traditional students.[20]

Notable alumni

• Don Bingham, professional football player
• Dan Blocker, actor
• Norm Cash, professional baseball player
• Pete P. Gallego, former U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district from 2013 to 2015, president of Sul Ross
• Sandra A. Gregory, United States Air Force Brigadier General
• Tuff Hedeman, professional bull rider
• Erasto B. Mpemba, Tanzanian wildlife officer and, as a schoolboy, discoverer of the Mpemba effect
• Lee Patton, Hall of Fame basketball coach at West Virginia University, former player at Sul Ross,
• Roberta Rudnick, geologist
• J.T. Rutherford, member, U.S. House
• Scotty Walden, college football coach
• Kern Wildenthal, hospital and university administrator

References

1. Gammel, Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen, ed. (1917). "Chapter 197: Establishment of "Sul Ross Normal College."". General Laws of the State of Texas Passed by the Thirty-Fifth Legislature at its Regular Session. The Laws of Texas [Volume 17]. Austin, Texas: Gammel's Book Store. pp. 442–444. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
2. Gammel, Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen, ed. (1921). "Chapter 160: State Normal Colleges--Changing Names Of". General Laws of the State of Texas Passed by the Thirty-Eighth Legislature at the Regular Session. The Laws of Texas [Volume 17]. Austin, Texas: Gammel's Book Store. p. 341. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
3. Tit. 49, Art. 2647g. Vernon's Texas Statutes, 1950 Supplement. Kansas City MO: Vernon Law Book Company. 1950. p. 211. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
4. Staff. "Quick Facts". Sul Ross State University. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
5. Park, Brooke (May 2, 2022). "Carlos Hernandez tapped as Sul Ross State University interim president". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
6. Staff (2015). "Texas Public Higher Education Almanac 2015 – Institutional Comparison" (XLS). Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
7. Staff, Office of Human Resources (2015). Report on Information Regarding Staff Compensation (PDF) (Report). Sul Ross State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
8. Staff. "Texas Higher Education Enrollments" (XLS). Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
9. Staff, Office of Campus Planning, Construction and Risk Management (2015). "Campus Planning, Construction and Risk Management". Sul Ross State University. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
10. "Sull Ross Merchant Guidelines and Branding Standards" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-06-15.
11. "Sul Ross State University". tsus.edu. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
12. "History of SRSU". Sul Ross State University. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
13. "Borderlands Research Institute". Archived from the original on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
14. "Track and Field Ends at Sul Ross"
15. "Sul Ross moving up to NCAA Division II competition" Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
16. "Sul Ross State to join the LSC on July 1, 2024" Lone Star Conference. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
17. "Residential Living Facilities and Services." Sul Ross State University. Retrieved on 09 August, 2015.
18. http://www.sulross.edu/rgc SulRoss.edu "Rio Grande College upper-level center", accessed 09 August, 2015
19. http://www.sulross.edu/page/1155/history-rio-grande-college SulRoss.edu "History of Rio Grande College", accessed 09 August, 2015
20. Official Fall 2018 SRSU Enrollment Numbers

External links

• Official website
• Athletics website