Blended learning has become a meme. While mixing online instruction with face-to-face time is not exactly new, momentum for hybrid learning has been building ever since a Department of Education meta-study in 2010 quietly announced that traditional education simply does not stack up. In that study, online education was determined to be more effective than traditional classrooms--and blended learning topped the lot. Today, colleges and universities nationwide are experimenting with a variety of recipes to find the custom blend that meets their specific needs. To be successful, though, schools must first take time to lay the groundwork. In this article, the author looks at the four keystones needed to build a winning hybrid program: (1) Know why you want to blend; (2) Prepare your faculty; (3) Set student expectations; and (4) Configure back-end systems.