Sul Ross State University (SRSU), a public university in Alpine, Texas, is named for former Texas governor, Civil War general Lawrence Sullivan Ross. It was founded in 1917 as Sul Ross Normal College and was made a university in 1969. Sul Ross State University offers certificate programs and associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. The main campus is situated in the unique environment of the Big Bend region and is the primary institution of higher education serving a 19-county area in far West Texas. SRSU has branch campuses in Uvalde, Del Rio, and Eagle Pass (see below). The university is governed by the Board of Regents of the Texas State University System, which guides seven universities in the state. The university is named in honor of Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross, the son of a pioneer Texas family who went on to become a Texas Ranger, a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, the 19th Governor of Texas (USA), and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now called Texas A&M University. The now Lubbock-based West Texas Historical Association has on occasion held its annual meeting at Sul Ross.