Through a modified Delphi study, an expert panel identified 62 concepts organized in eight issue categories that impact administrative decisions as higher education institutions commit to implementing distance education courses and programs. Using a mail survey, 62 department chairs in Colleges of Agriculture in Land-Grant Universities ranked the impact these concepts had on their decisions to implement distance education courses and programs. Follow-up telephone interviews with six department chairs confirmed survey findings. In descending order of importance, the issues were: faculty commitment and skill development, technology integration and support, incorporation of distance education into the departmental focus, financial issues, student engagement and support, quality control for courses and documentation of outcomes, developing policies and governances for course and delivery processes, and compliance with regulations and legal matters. Issue rankings were consistent between department chairs in the hard and social sciences; department size and years of experience as a department chair made no difference in the rankings. However, department chairs with zero students enrolled in distance education were more concerned about financial issues and establishing policies and governances. This research indicates that implementing distance education must be a collaborative effort between the department, college, and central administration.