College and university governance works best when every constituency within the institution has a clear understanding of its role with respect to the other constituencies. It works best when communication among the governing board, the administration, and the faculty (not to mention the staff and students) is regular, open, and honest. Too often the president serves as the sole conduit for the governing board and the faculty to communicate with each other. While this practice may be efficient, it rarely enhances understanding between governing boards and faculties. Faculty-board communication is a central component of effective shared governance. In its absence, as recent events at a number of institutions have shown, misunderstanding among members of each group about the role of the other may easily occur and decisions might be made that can lead to significant governance failures. Shared governance works only if all constituencies are committed to it.