Thomas Edison State College (TESC) and Colorado State University (CSU) offer significant contrasts in institutional culture, student demographics, faculty and institutional priorities and approaches to distance education course development and delivery. This article offers case studies showing that widely disparate program design and delivery approaches can be successful for both the student and the institution. The article concludes that the dramatic contrasts between these two successful distance education programs help to illustrate that there is no single way to conduct these programs, and indeed, there may not be a model or best way. However, with planning, consistent interactions with faculty, and with adequate staffing and support, there is more than one way to make distance programs successful.