The Bloomington Faculty Council was formally organized in 1947 as an attempt to proportionally represent the faculty of Indiana University to university administration and Trustees. Prior to 1947, faculty had met informally and without broad representation when pressing issues faced the university and her faculty.

President Herman B. Wells gave initial direction to the nine Deans, fifteen faculty, and assorted ex-officio members, citing timely concerns about post-war planning, faculty reimbursement for travel to scholarly meetings, establishment of a university press, women's studies, and the uniformity of the grading scale. These business items would grow in range and scope over the next thirty years, and the Bloomington Faculty Council became the primary academic and faculty policymaker at Indiana University.

After Indiana University became a multi-campus system in the late 1970's, the Bloomington Faculty Council continued in its tradition of campus service and faculty governance. At current, the council consists of an elected body of faculty and ex-officio members who oversee fourteen standing and five elected committees, canvas faculty and staff for campus consensus on pressing academic and domestic matters, and provide campus and university service through numerous campus committees and the University Faculty Council.

The Bloomington Faculty Council Office serves as the coordinating arm of the BFC, under the direction of the BFC President and Executive Committee. The BFC Office contains archives of BFC documents from the Council's inception in 1947 and assists in the creation and distribution of circulars for review and the generation of verbatim minutes of each BFC meeting.

The BFC office is located on the ground floor of Ballantine Hall, and is open every weekday from 8-5 for public review of minutes and documents from past meetings, private faculty committee meetings, and academic research. A wheelchair accessible entrance is available at the west end of the building, through the courtyard. To contact the office, call 812.856.5980 or email bfcoff@indiana.edu.