Meet the most powerful faculty at IU-Bloomington

The Bloomington Faculty Council assisted with the eText initiative, but few students know the purpose of the BFC, who is involved and why it’s important to IU.

The council will make an official decision about the addition of more Friday classes. It will also determine if schools at the University will merge or if IU will add new schools. Here’s some background about the council that makes decisions affecting IU students.

What is the BFC?
It is a group of elected members responsible for faculty governance on the Bloomington campus. The BFC is a smaller facet of the University Faculty Council, which governs the eight IU campuses.  

How often does the BFC meet?
The council meets twice a month.
How are members elected?
The process begins with a nomination in the fall for the following academic year. Elections are in spring. The president, secretary, parliamentarian and agenda committee members are elected each spring as well.

What authority does the BFC have?
The constitution of the council permits the faculty authority over matters such as:
The campus academic mission
The faculty governance structure
Academic matters affecting multiple schools on campus
The academic calendar
Creation, reorganization, merger and elimination of programs and units affecting multiple schools on campus
Appointment, promotion and tenure, compensation, conduct and discipline and grievances of campus faculty
Appointment and review of campus academic officers and administrative officers affecting the academic mission
Campus facilities and budgets
Student conduct and discipline
Intercollegiate and intramural athletics
Other matters which affect the academic mission of the campus
Academic programs not within the authority of an individual school’s faculty.

What is the structure of the BFC?
The BFC has a committee structure that exercises the majority of the council’s authority.
The current BFC committees are:
Benefits Committee
Budgetary Affairs Committee
Constitution and Rules Committee
Distributed Education Committee
Diversity and Affirmative Action Committee
Educational Policies Committee
Executive Committee
Faculty Affairs Committee
Foundation Relations Committee
Library Committee
Nomination Committee
Research Affairs Committee
Student Academic Appointee Affairs Committee
Student Affairs Committee
Technology Policies Committee

Why was the BFC established?
In 1947, the BFC was formally organized as a representative body of the faculty of IU. This representation was necessary to balance the authority of faculty, administration and the Board of Trustees.  

—Kourtney Liepelt