Despite the proliferation of distance education at colleges and universities and its increases in student enrollments, experts warn that unless significant changes are made, distance education's future may become threatened (Cavanaugh, 2004; Howard & Schenk, 2004; Porter, 2004; Zemsky & Massy, 2004; Carr, 2001; Carnevale, 2001). These threats directly address and question the effectiveness, need, and in some instances, the continued existence of distance education at the post-secondary level. This study describes the internal characteristics contributing to the sustained operation of a renowned DE organization by examining the organization's social structure. Understanding an organization's social structure facilitates methods to counteract intradepartmental conflict, improve coordination practices and promote effective workflow activities or processes in ways that barrier studies, best practice guidelines and other tools have not, or simply cannot. This study also examines distance education in 2020 including an update on its current statistics, progress and primary research theme. It concludes with a discussion on distance education's most urgent challenges and provides considerations for practice and implications for additional research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]