Our Data Strategy

Parsing Data for Insights and Innovations.

The University of Illinois System established a Data Governance 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.

Goals and Actions

Goal 1: Empower data-informed decision-making and operational efficiency systemwide, while facilitating collaboration and generating university awareness around the use of institutional data, its value, and the need for governance. Develop and maintain a persistent roadmap for implementation and support of data strategy actions.

Action 1: Establish a systemwide Data Office with data officer accountable to make forward progress and provide the appropriate resources for leadership, new data service capabilities, coordination, process development, and education at each organization.

Goal 2: Establish clear roles and responsibilities, core principles, and practices that enable the secure and effective governance of data as a strategic asset and enable effective and secure integration across data platforms.

Action 2: Develop a federated systemwide data governance program, sponsored by executive leadership with representation from impacted units.

Goal 3: Optimize student success systemwide with data-informed decision making by developing an aligned program of services and processes. This program will encompass the collection, storage, protection, analytics, reporting, privacy policy, engineering, retention, and disposal of data. The program will foster innovation to meet the operational and strategic needs of the university, including but not limited to enrollment, student success, faculty and staff recruitment, and address other administrative uses.

Action 3: Implement a systemwide core data model (beginning with student data) that is flexible and reduces issues of data inconsistency.

Goal 4: Expand data literacy and promote a data-informed culture systemwide that enables data-informed decision-making, fosters cross-functional relationships, facilitates appropriately managed independent access to data, and encourages confidence and trust in data quality, integrity, and privacy.

Action 4: Strengthen our systemwide data usage capabilities with an improved systemwide data literacy program.

Goal 5: Integrate data privacy, security, and compliance into the U of I System Data Strategy Program ensuring the protection of sensitive information while fostering innovation, transparency, and trust.

Action 5: Support data privacy programs at each organization (UIUC, UIC, UIH, UIS, and SO).

Goal 6: Improve systemwide data quality, access, and management for consistency, integrity, and usability by providing a more efficient, secure, and user-friendly data environment.

Action 6: Deploy technology and operations to provide initial and ongoing support for the U of I System Data Strategy Program.

Roadmap

Action 1: Establish a systemwide Data Office and provide the appropriate resources at each organization for data services/education

Establish the systemwide data officer role by allocating funding and recruiting for the role (needs to report to EVP or CFO).
Working with constituents across the system, the systemwide data officer will develop and maintain a persistent roadmap for implementation and support of data strategy recommendations.
Hire System Office Project Manager to assist with Data Strategy initiative, especially coordinating core data model work.
Work with a systemwide body such as the System Executive Risk Management Council or their delegates to prioritize areas to target with the data strategy plan including funding allocations for FTE.

Action 5: Support data privacy programs at each organization (UIUC, UIC, UIH, UIS, and SO)

Finalize UIUC data privacy consulting engagement to be used with UIC's completed self-assessment to establish a baseline.

Action 2: Develop a federated systemwide data governance program

Dedicate resources to engage with the university faculty and staff to facilitate success achieving data governance, management, and data use goals
Assess the need for new data policies and standards
Establish core principles and practices for leveraging data as a strategic asset
Develop a systemwide data classification framework that categorizes and manages data based on its sensitivity, value, and regulatory requirements (completed by TF, needs implemented)
Develop and implement a standardized data integration approach and process
Partner with risk management organizations systemwide to assess current risks with data management practices
Profile current data and develop data quality standards, best practices, and the capability to remediate quality issues
Assess and rationalize current data architecture, management, and storage across the U of I System
Assess current historical data retention and analysis capabilities against organizational goals
Assess the applicability of current data structures and governance to artificial intelligence efforts and iteratively make improvements to meet systemwide needs

Action 3: Implement a systemwide core data model (beginning with student data)

Phase I

Identify a team to develop the core data model starting with student data that will:

Complete a systemwide landscape scan reviewing current resources and systems
Identify the artifacts and attributes of a core data model
Identify phased in plans for investment in data teams and platforms for system offices and universities
Develop policies and best practices for the use of AI and machine learning with student data, moving from accepted practice
Develop a process and capacity to scale student data innovations from individual units to the campus level to the system

Phase II

- Execute initial phases of implementation of core data model and associated policies, practices, etc.

Adopt a core data model including training and development for increased literacy and accountability for new systemic changes
Review initial steps and adjust as required and address emergent resource needs for newly adopted model and associated advancements in visualization, analytics, etc.
Embed reviews of metrics for major aspects of student success metrics into regular reviews on a time period (ex. annually) to ensure that analytics and measures are current based upon the landscape

Action 4: Strengthen our systemwide data usage capabilities by improving data literacy

Develop systemwide and university specific data literacy programs
Develop an annual Data Summit
Document data flows and lifecycle to understand current data processes and develop improvements
Engage with communication experts systemwide to raise awareness of the importance of data governance
Document and disseminate business terms and metadata in a broadly accessible system to increase literacy
Catalog and document data solutions already available such as standardized reports, dashboards, predictive analytics solutions, and data driven planning tools
Research and educate on best practices in gathering data requirements and data analysis to elevate literacy in this skill and enhance the data solutions that are developed for systemwide use
Provide for advanced analytics, enhanced visualization capacity, and the appropriate levels of access for individuals based on their roles

Action 5: Support data privacy programs at each organization (UIUC, UIC, UIH, UIS, and SO)

Complete systemwide data privacy program evaluation including resource requirements to establish roadmap and tasks
Create a System Office Data Privacy Director in the University Ethics & Compliance Office

Action 6: Deploy technology and operations to provide initial and ongoing support for the U of I System Data Strategy Program

Develop a process to review contracts of duplicative technologies and evaluate whether it would be feasible to develop a coordinated purchasing and support strategy
Implement a systemwide data catalog to streamline data discovery and metadata management
Develop an access framework and implement solutions that work together to automate access provisioning

Action 1: Establish a systemwide Data Office and provide the appropriate resources at each organization for data services/education

Begin work on prioritized areas and recruit needed FTE who will support data as a service and support the other goals including:

Create a 'Data and Analytics Resource Center' at each entity to house new FTE/functions, integrating into existing structure
Direct customer support via data/analytics consultants available to colleges/depts
Develop data literacy programs
Coordinate data governance and process development/implementation
Develop and support core data models and data catalog

Action 5: Support data privacy programs at each organization (UIUC, UIC, UIH, UIS, and SO)

Invest in FTEs for universities privacy programs as data needs grow over time, initial investment needed includes one data privacy professional at UIC and UIUC
Establish governance with a systemwide Privacy Working Group (PWG)
Create new and update existing systemwide data privacy policies, standards, guidelines, and controls the update organization specific policies as needed based on systemwide policies
Develop a rolling three-year roadmap, and projects plan to facilitate compliance with the privacy programs
Create organizational specific online and other supporting resources that guide the units and individuals on how to implement and prioritize the adoption of data privacy programs
Track regulatory compliance posture of the U of I System
Develop and maintain standardized privacy compliance and risk metrics
Create coordinated privacy incident/breach management and response systemwide

Action 6: Deploy technology and operations to provide initial and ongoing support for the U of I System Data Strategy Program

Prioritize user rights and consent management with automated data privacy tools and privacy engineering capabilities
Enable programmatic access to major data systems to enable end-user needs with a focus on scalability and data integration that aligns with business objectives

For more information, please see the Strategy Program Executive Summary.

Data Strategy Progress Highlights

FY26, Q1

An interim project manager has been assigned from AITS.

System data classification framework has been completed as part of the task force work.

Unizin partnership with UIUC has started actively mapping data from systems.

Privacy offices are in place at UIC and UIUC. UIS and SO are leveraging UIUC privacy services.

Contracts are being reviewed for duplicative technologies and evaluated for whether it would be feasible to develop a coordinated purchasing and support strategy.