At community colleges, just as at four-year institutions, a wide range of governance models exists, including those that claim to be shared governance but aren't, those that don't even pretend to be shared governance, and, occasionally, truly shared governance. True shared governance at community colleges, just as at their four-year counterparts, is based on four key principles. These principles are familiar to anyone who has advocated for shared governance or who already enjoys it--but not to many community college faculty members or administrators. Meaningful shared governance can exist only when: (1) tenured faculty members have authority over academic matters, and the administration defers to them in those areas; (2) everyone affected by a decision has a say in how that decision is made; (3) a clear majority of faculty members are tenured or on the tenure track--or at least the administration is working toward that goal; and (4) everyone concerned is committed to both the concept of shared governance and its practical application. The authors contend that only when tenured faculty members advocate energetically for these principles, and administrators embrace and implement them, will those who work in community colleges have a system they can honestly call shared governance.