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 its 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 30 years, and the Bloomington Faculty Council became the primary academic and faculty policymaker at Indiana University.
After Indiana University became a multi-campus university in the late 1970s, the Bloomington Faculty Council continued in its tradition of campus service and faculty governance. On May 6, 1975, the authority of faculty members on the Bloomington campus was solidified with the adoption of its Constitution. The University Faculty Council, responsible for faculty governance of the seven IU campuses, was created during this time.