Gary Savard
Associate Professor
Division of Information Technology & Sciences
Real-world experience
When you ask Gary Savard what makes Champlain's Software Engineering program different than other software engineering programs, he talks about real-world experience.
"Our program is unique in that all of our professors have strong backgrounds in [the] industry," Gary says. "Typically, programs in software engineering or computer science are completely theory based, and have few professors who have strong practical skills. At Champlain, our software engineering professors all have strong theoretical skills and also are practicing professionals. This real-world experience gives our students a huge boost in the job market because we give them strong, practical grounding in real-world technology, management, team building and corporate expectations."
To accomplish that, Gary says, each of the courses in Champlain's Software Engineering curriculum includes five goals.
"The first is to give students strong, practical skills that will allow them to flourish in the engineering world. Each course has a strong practical basis. The combination of professor-practitioners and an advisory board of industry experts allow us to teach students how things are done in the real world, and not just in theory.
"The second goal is to give students experience in industry through internships with top-flight companies such as IDX Corporation (now GE Healthcare), VSAC, IBM and others. Also, many of our advanced classes take on projects for government agencies and private companies. Some recent examples include developing an emergency management information clearinghouse for county (and eventually, state and hopefully national) fire departments," he says, explaining that this software allows responding personnel to retrieve information on building layout, fire hydrants, hazardous materials and other vital information from a central repository as they drive to a fire." Gary says that eventually GPS and satellite maps will enhance the system.
The third goal in Champlain's Software Engineering classes "is to get our students to develop strong problem-solving skills so that they can make informed technical decisions when they graduate. True engineers have the ability to be self-starters and creative problem solvers," Gary says.
Fourth, the goal is "to give students the relevant soft skills that will allow them to progress into lead engineer and management positions. Traditionally, engineers lack training in those areas, and current industry trends make soft skills one of the most desired skill sets in engineering. We emphasize written and oral communication as well as team building and interpersonal skills."
The fifth goal is to give students a strong theoretical background that will allow them to seek advance degrees. "Some of our recent graduates have gone on to master's programs at Carnegie Mellon University, Boston College and many other outstanding schools," Gary notes.
"We want our students to walk away as rounded individuals," Gary says. "That means that they have a strong sense of self confidence, the ability to work in a team and a sense of direction and purpose for their professional careers."
Gary has been at Champlain for seven years. What he likes best about teaching here is "the low student-teacher ratio and the sense of community on campus."
Comic illustrations are a favorite of graphic design student Patrick Smith.