The University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO) is the second higher education institution in Switzerland, with 21,500 students and 6,000 professors. Teaching is provided in small groups, face-to-face, but the use of blended learning has been developed since 2004. In March 2020, when the entire Swiss education system shifted to distance learning, HES-SO was well prepared to face this challenge, as it had anticipated the risks, and established a taskforce in charge of developing support services for faculty and students (pedagogy, teaching, mental health, support for the civil society (health), educational costs). This paper presents the global experience focusing on three topics. First: anticipation: How was this institution able to transfer more than 30,000 people from presence to distance in less than one week. Second: evaluation: After three semesters of distance teaching, the rectorate launched a survey to collect students’ feedbacks. Almost 900 students offered extensive comments and propositions for the future, providing fruitful insights on how teaching and learning should be improved in the future. Third: consequences: how will the institution integrate the outcomes of the global experience.