Our Data Strategy
Leveraging Data for Insights and Innovations.
The University of Illinois System established a Data Strategy Program in 2025 to protect and leverage data assets to benefit all U of I institutions and stakeholders.
Our Vision
The University of Illinois System envisions a future where the power of data informs decision-making, transforms operations, empowers strategic initiatives, improves access and responsible use of data, and enhances the experiences of everyone in its community.
By maximizing the value of data and expanding reporting and analytics capabilities while securing the data with privacy in mind, the U of I System will deliver high-value insights that will improve student outcomes, drive efficient operations, leverage contemporary and emergent technologies, to position the University of Illinois System as a leader in effective and innovative use of data.
Love Data Week 2026: Data Visualization Competition & System Celebration Event
Join the University of Illinois System in celebrating Love Data Week 2026, an international event dedicated to elevating the role of data in research, operations, and storytelling. This year, we’re thrilled to launch our own system-wide celebration—complete with a data visualization competition and a virtual gathering of our data communities.
The strength of our community is each of you, and we want to help enhance our network of relationships. By bringing together our data communities across the system, we hope you can learn from one another, develop new connections, and continue supporting each other in the future.
About Love Data Week
Love Data Week is a global movement focused on:
- Sharing compelling stories that use data in innovative ways
- Encouraging responsible and effective data-management practices
- Strengthening communities of data professionals and enthusiasts
Our 2026 event brings these themes to life through creativity, collaboration, and cross-system engagement.
Data Visualization Competition
Tell Your Story with Data
We invite U of I System faculty and staff to create and submit a visualization built with publicly available data. Show us an interesting trend, insight, or narrative that speaks to our university community.
Competition requirements:
- Data source: Must use publicly available data (to model strong privacy practices).
- Format: Submit a link to your visualization that does not require login.
- Eligibility: Entries previously submitted to other Love Data Week events are welcome, as long as they meet the criteria above.
Selection process:
A panel of judges across the U of I System will review submissions and select finalists. Finalists will present their work live during the February 12th U of I System Love Data Week Celebration event, where we’ll also announce the competition champion.
Submission deadline: January 25, 2026
Submit your visualization
University of Illinois System Love Data Week Celebration
February 12, 2026 | 9-11 a.m. CST
Location: Virtual (Zoom link provided upon registration)
Connect with peers, learn from fellow data practitioners, and help strengthen the data community throughout the U of I System. During this live virtual session, we will:
- Share current goals and initiatives from U of I System data communities
- Discuss future collaboration opportunities
- Celebrate and recognize the finalists of the Data Visualization Competition
Register for the event