In 1961, by Order No. 218 of the USSR Ministry of Agriculture dated June 17, the Faculty of Agricultural Mechanization was established at the Buryat Agricultural Institute. From its earliest years, the faculty became a center for training highly qualified mechanical engineers not only for the Republic of Buryatia but also for Zabaykalsky Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, the Republics of Tyva and Sakha (Yakutia), and other regions of the country.
However, historical records show that the faculty was not built from scratch. Its origins trace back to 1932, when the Agropedagogical Institute, comprising seven departments, included a Department of Mechanization headed by Vasily Petrovich Akulov. In 1954, a Technological Faculty with three divisions was established within this institute. This faculty produced three graduating classes, training 105 construction engineers, 116 leather and fur technologists, and 70 meat and dairy products technologists.
In 1962, this faculty was reorganized into the East Siberian Technological Institute (now the East Siberian State University of Technology). The history of the Technological Faculty, later the ESTI, and ESSTU, is inextricably linked to the name of Rector Damdin Shagdurovich Frolov. Thus, the predecessor of the Faculty of Agricultural Mechanization was the Technological Faculty.
Over 60 years, the faculty has trained more than 6,000 mechanical engineers. The first full-time class of 53 students graduated in 1966. Remarkably, from this single cohort, several alumni later joined the faculty itself, including:
Yuri A. Sergeev, Honored Engineer of the Republic of Buryatia, Honored Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Professor.
Sergey B. Esheev, Honored Engineer of the Republic of Buryatia, Honored Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Associate Professor, who served as Dean for 16 years.
Vladimir E. Burkin, Honored Worker of the Agro-Industrial Complex of the Republic of Buryatia, Honored Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation.
Graduates who became Doctors of Technical Sciences and Professors include Yuri A. Sergeev, Dambara B. Labarov, Alexey V. Kuzmin, Valery V. Tumurkhanov, and Tsyren Ts. Dambaev. Associate Professors Valery V. Tumurkhanov and Alexander I. Darkhanov were laureates of the State Prize of the Republic of Buryatia.
Many faculty graduates have been elected as deputies to the People's Khural of the Republic of Buryatia and other levels, including V.L. Garmatarov, N.B. Mozhdov, V.V. Krasnikov, I.A. Bobkov, P.L. Noskov, N.D. Badmaev, V.G. Dondyukov, D.Ch. Borsogoev, and others. Graduates Yuri F. Gurulev, Vladimir V. Bubnov, and Valery G. Dondyukov were awarded the "Honored Graduate of BSAA" badge.
Numerous alumni have led agricultural enterprises and APK organizations, such as S.I. Filippova, N.I. Sholena, Ch.Ts. Tsyrenova, Yuri F. Gurulev, V.Ch. Damcheeva, V.A. Pavlova, M.V. Ryutina, Valery G. Dondyukov, B.K. Borodina, and many others. Graduates have also held high governmental positions, including:
- Igor B. Dagbaev – Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Buryatia.
- Vladimir V. Bubnov – Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Buryatia.
- Bair G. Zhigzhitov – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Buryatia.
- Petr L. Noskov – Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
- Vladimir V. Zaguzin – Head of the Republican Agency for Property and Land Relations.
- District administration heads have included N.D. Badmaev, P.L. Noskov, B.G. Zhigzhitov, B.K. Borodin, L.P. Burkov, S.R. Telin, I.B. Dagbaev, M.A. Pnyov, and others.
Graduates have also excelled within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system, including:
- Colonel Pavel S. Mordovskoy – First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Buryatia.
- Boris I. Erygin – Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department of the Republic of Buryatia.
- Lieutenant Colonel Valery V. Dalbanov – Deputy Head of the Traffic Police Department.
- Colonel Valery N. Bulygin – Deputy Head of the Penitentiary Department.
It is challenging to list all graduates who have achieved high positions and notable results.
In 2001, the faculty introduced the specialty "Electrification and Automation of Agriculture" with a specialization in "Agricultural Power Supply," graduating 349 specialists working across various industries.
In the spring of 2005, the Faculty of Agricultural Mechanization was renamed the "Engineering Faculty."
In 2007, the specialty "Technology of Maintenance and Repair of Machinery in the Agro-Industrial Complex" with a specialization in "Organization and Technology of Technical Service" was opened, graduating 48 specialists over five years.
A Master's program in direction 35.04.06 Agroengineering, profile "Technologies and Means of Agricultural Mechanization," was launched in 2010.
Since 2009, the faculty has been training Bachelors in direction 35.03.06 "Agroengineering" with profiles in "Technical Systems in Agribusiness," "Technical Service in the Agro-Industrial Complex," and "Electrical Equipment and Electrotechnologies."
In 2011, direction 13.03.01 "Thermal Power Engineering and Heat Engineering," profile "Enterprise Energy Supply," was opened.
