Today, big shifts are changing the future of teaching and learning. From technology and devices to the where your students learn, change is everywhere.

Together, these changes are creating a digital disruption that you cannot afford to ignore. I’m sure you’re already dealing with it in IT one way or the other, as the business of your school or institution is, with each passing day, increasingly digital and global. New and disruptive competitive forces are emerging. Institutional cultures are evolving and your the working habits of your students, faculty and staff are changing.

As technology transforms the education landscape, schools, colleges, and universities will confront a constant stream of challenges to meet the expectations of today’s digital natives. Institutions must develop digital strategies and find the right technologies, paths, and solutions to help mobilize teaching and learning in and beyond the walls of the classroom.

Join us this year at Citrix Synergy, as we go beyond the classroom to discuss digital strategies and solutions for anywhere, anytime teaching and learning. This year, we have some exciting customer sessions and the Education Industry Forum, which you won’t want to miss.

First up on Wednesday, May 24th from 3:15 – 3:45 at Synergy Park, it’s the Meet the Experts Bar! Join Jameson Johnston from the University of Florida, as he shares how implementing a BYOD XenApp solution for students has influenced large-scale institutional changes in the areas of on-campus learning spaces, distance learning, software management, course use of technology, and research. Get insights into their strategic business practices and service decisions, as well as specific technical designs that have improved services for 60,000 users.

Many of these lessons were learned the hard way. You’ll hear about technical and non-technical hurdles, including storage options, communication with faculty and students, and profile management, as well as organizational impact, from course usage of technology and campus-wide licensing to the impact on other IT services. The session will also share next steps, applying lessons learned and new use cases.

Thursday, the 25th, will be a big day filled with an exciting session with Yale University, a Hot Topics Round table led by Tobias Kreidl and the Education Industry Forum. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll see and hear:

Thursday, May 25th from 11:30 – 12:15, Orange County Convention Center, West Concourse, Level IV, W4. Hear from Yale University, as they share their Journey to the Cloud. Join Eric Grenier, Public Computing Services Manager, and hear how Yale University’s Public Computing Services department was directed to implement a cloud-based virtual environment.

Managing more than 900 devices across the university — accessible to anyone with a university username — along with several machines that would be open to the public, was difficult for their small staff of 1.5 FTEs, who were supporting the environment with manual updates and imaging in order to provide the latest versions of all software applications for students. Hear how the university settled on Citrix Cloud to deliver a world-class service to the campus. Plus, learn how to leverage Citrix Smart Tools to control costs in your AWS cloud and how to tie in cloud-storage, including Citrix ShareFile, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more.

If you have hot topics and questions about virtualization, security, storage solutions, mobile strategies, and XenDesktop and XenApp services, you’ll want to stop by Synergy Park from 1:30 – 2:30 pm to meet with Tobias Kreidl, Academic Computing Lead from Northern Arizona University (and one of Citrix Technology Professionals) and get the answers you’re looking for.

Finally, rounding out the day is the Education Industry Forum from 3:30 -5:30 pm at West Concourse, Level II, Tangerine Ballroom, F3. Formerly known as “Birds of A Feather,” the Education Industry Forum brings together leaders in the education industry including customers, Citrix Technology Professionals and Citrix technical experts to openly discuss the importance of a digital strategy, as well as the paths, technologies, and innovative cloud solutions that will help overcome the challenges of modernizing campuses and meeting the expectations of today’s students.

This interactive forum offers expert discussion on XenDesktop and XenApp, the latest Citrix Cloud demo — that can help you easily move to the cloud — and customer-led roundtables with Yale University, the University of Florida, Oregon State University, NVIDIA, and Citrix technology experts on deep-dive topics, such as Cloud, Learning Spaces, Security, and IoT, during a relaxing networking reception.

If you haven’t registered for Citrix Synergy yet, now is the time. Don’t miss this great opportunity to connect with your peers and discuss these digital strategies can help your institution look and go beyond the wall. I look forward to meeting you there!

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