Increasingly, data collection and analysis are core functions of higher education institutions. However, an EDUCAUSE QuickPoll revealed that just one in four (25%) of respondents believed the structure of data functions at their institution was ideal for their analytics needs, and only 16% of respondents indicated that their institutional data functions operate cohesively. This misalignment of strategy and resources within higher education institutions is becoming an urgent issue, with implications for data privacy and security, student recruitment and retention, and the holistic student experience. Building on the trends, technologies, practices, and scenarios described in the "2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Holistic Student Experience Edition," an expert panel was charged with envisioning the preferred future of unified data models in higher education and creating an action plan targeting that future.