# Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University

Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SbAU; Bengali: শেরেবাংলা কৃষি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) is one of the oldest agriculture educational institutions in South Asia, situated in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established on 11 December 1938 as Bengal Agricultural Institute (BAI) by Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq, then the Chief Minister of undivided Bengal and later upgraded to a university in 2001 and renamed as Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.
Since its establishment, the university plays a role in agricultural research and development (R&D) of the region through the creation of knowledge, agricultural technology generation and transfer, crop diversification and intensification for the benefit of farming communities. SAU offers undergraduate, post graduate, and Ph.D. degrees through course credit system.

## History

SAU was established as Bengal Agricultural Institute (BAI) on 11 December 1938 by Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq, the chief minister of undivided Bengal. The Bengal Agricultural Institute was renamed East Pakistan Agricultural Institute in 1947. After the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country in 1971, the name of the institute was spontaneously changed to Bangladesh Agricultural Institute (BAI).
Since its inception in 1938, the BAI had been functioning as a Faculty of Agriculture under Dhaka University. After the establishment of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) at Mymensingh in 1961, its academic function was transferred to BAU in 1964, until its upgrade to Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in 2001.
SAU became the 17th public university of the country in 2001. The Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Act 2001 was passed in the Parliament of Bangladesh on 9 July 2001. The foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 15 July 2001 and inaugurated the university activities through the appointment of the first vice-chancellor: Md. Shadat Ulla.
SAU functioned as a university from 2001 with a single faculty: The Faculty of Agriculture following the issuance of a notification by the government as per requirement of the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Act 2001. On 22 June 2009, a bill was placed in the parliament to assign the president as chancellor. The Agribusiness Management, Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Science faculties started in 2007, 2012 and 2017.
Nearly 5,700 graduates plus 600 postgraduates have been produced by the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. Presently about 3,300 undergraduate and postgraduate students are enrolled and are taught by faculty members.

## List of vice chancellors

| Sequence | Name | Tenure |
| 1 | Md. Sadat Ullah | 15 July 2001 – 9 September 2001 |
| 2 | A. M. Faruk | 5 December 2001 – 2 March 2008 |
| 3 | Habib Abu Ibrahim | 3 March 2008 – 16 July 2008 |
| 4 | Md. Shah Alam | 17 July 2008 – 16 July 2012 |
| 5 | Sadat Ullah | 26 July 2012 – 25 July 2017 |
| 6 | Kamal Uddin Ahmmed | 14 August 2016 – 13 August 2020 |
| 7 | Sheikh Rezaul Karim (Acting) | |
| 8 | Md. Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan | 17 November 2020 – 7 August 2024 |
| 9 | Md. Abdul Latif | 5 September 2024 – Present |

## Campus

The campus surrounding by 87 acres of land. This campus is like a small village in the center of Dhaka city.

### Infrastructure

* 1 administrative building
* 3 faculty building & complex
* 1 Library
* 1 Auditorium
* 5 halls for students
* 1 Poultry farm
* Machinery farm
* Research field (Agronomy, Horticulture, Genetics and plant breeding, plant pathology, etc.)
* Mashjid (mosque)
* Temple
* Cyber café
* Gymnasium
* Medical Center
* Cafeteria

### Library

Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Library is in a separate three-storied building at the east wing of the administrative building. This library has a glorious history. It was established in 1938. Most probably, it is the first special library in Bangladesh.
The library has a collection of more than 40 thousand books comprising the major subjects of agriculture and related subjects. It also collects popular national journals related to agriculture and a few international journals. Students and teachers can borrow books; they use its reference books/journals during the opening hours. The library has 24 administrative personnel. It has been providing Internet service facilities to its users. It has a large number of electronic resource collections.
Recently the library has an interest in e-Resources. As a result, it subscribed to JSTOR, HINARI, AGORA, OARE, Oxford Scholarship Online, Pearsons, Taylor & Francis ebooks, CRCnetBase, Wiley Online, IMF e-Library, Emerald Insight, TEEAL, LiCob and it has an institutional repository. The university has built a Digital Archive on Agricultural Theses and Journals (DAATJ) under the funding of UGC-HEQEP.

### Halls of residence

The Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University has four halls for male and three for female students. Students either reside in or are attached to a hall of residence. A provost and an assistant provost looks after the administration of a hall.

#### Boy's dormitories

* Sher-e-Bangla Hall
* Nabab Siraj-Ud-Doula Hall
* Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall
* Bijoy 24 Hall

#### Girl's dormitories

* Begum Syedunnesa Hall
* Begum Rokeya Hall
* Oporajita 24 Hall

## Academic
### Faculties

* Faculty of Agriculture
* Faculty of Agribusiness Management
* Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine
* Faculty of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Science
* Faculty of Post Graduate Studies

### Faculty of Agriculture

Department of Agricultural Botany
Department of Agricultural Chemistry
Department of Agricultural Extension and Information System
Department of Agroforestry and Environmental Science
Department of Agronomy
Department of Agricultural Engineering
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Department of Biotechnology
Department of Language
Department of Entomology
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding
Department of Horticulture
Department of Plant Pathology
Department of Soil Science

### Faculty of Agribusiness Management

Department of Agricultural Economics
Department of Development and Poverty Studies
Department of Agricultural Statistics
Department of Agricultural Finance and Management
Department of Agribusiness and Marketing

### Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine

Department of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology
Department of Animal Nutrition, Genetics & Breeding
Department of Animal Production & Management
Department of Dairy Science
Department of Medicine and Public Health
Department of Microbiology & Parasitology
Department of Pathology
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Department of Poultry Science
Department of Surgery & Theriogenology

### Faculty of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Science

Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics
Department of Aquaculture
Department of Fishing and Postharvest Technology
Department of Aquatic Animal Health Management
Department of Aquatic Environment and Resource Management
Department of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography

### Institutes

* Institute of Seed Technology

### Admission
#### Undergraduate

From 2019 to 2020 Academic year a unified cluster system admission test is introduced in nine Universities which provide education in the field of Agricultural Sciences these are Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Sylhet Agricultural University, Khulna Agricultural University, Patuakhali Science and Technology University,Habiganj Agricultural University and Kurigram Agricultural University. After then students get chance of admission as per their choice and score of merit list

#### Post Graduate
### Research organisation

* Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Research System (SAURES)
* Dr. Kazi M Badruddoza Research Centre

### Research programs

New technologies are developed by potential researchers through Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Research System (SAURES). The Genetics and Plant Breeding Department has a major research thrust on development of new varieties of crops; identification of parental lines for hybrid development; molecular characterisation of crops and germplasm characterisation, documentation and preservation.

## Convocation

The first convocation of the university took place on 16 November 2015. The President of Bangladesh, Md. Abdul Hamid was the chief guest of the convocation.

## Publications

* SAU Barta
* Journal of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University