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
The University of Illinois System celebrated Love Data Week 2026 with a system-wide virtual event highlighting
the strength of our community in leveraging data for developing actionable insights.
The celebration brought together community members from across the system to share current practices, explore
future collaboration opportunities, and recognize the finalists of the Systemwide Love Data Week
DataVisualization Competition.
Thank you to everyone who attended and helped strengthen our data community!
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
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