Wednesday, March 11, 2026

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• A message from the President-Designate

• Building the healthiest campus, city and region

• Engineering's 2026 Capstone Design symposiums kick off today

• Visitors Centre relocates to the Tatham Centre

• Science in the City and other urban updates

A message from the President-Designate

In the wake of Monday's announcement that Dr. Bill Rosehart will be the University of Waterloo's eighth president and vice-chancellor, Dr. Rosehart has been a busy man — meeting with University leaders including vice-presidents and deans, the heads of the AFIW, employee group representatives, and the student associations, conducting media interviews, and attending a special reception on Tuesday.

Amid all the activity, Dr. Rosehart took the time to share a personal message to the University of Waterloo community about what it means to him to return as president to a campus he left as a graduate.  

Building the healthiest campus, city and region

Dr. Lili Liu, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Mayor Dorothy McCabe, Cynthia Voisin, managing partner, Voisin Properties, Damian Mikhail, president, WUSA, and Dr. Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor in conversation.

This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Waterloo has long been known for reimagining what’s possible through engineering, computer science and entrepreneurship. Increasingly, that same innovation mindset is being directed toward health — defined not simply as medical care, but as the product of social, environmental, technological and economic systems that create well-being. 

Waterloo researchers across disciplines are pairing data with lived and living experience to understand how people and communities truly thrive. Our scholars are addressing aging, physical activity, mental well-being, equity, neighbourhood design and the technologies that support daily health decisions on individual, community and systems levels. Their work reflects a common understanding: health is not created in clinics alone; it emerges from the places we live and the supports around us. 

That systems lens shaped the recent Healthy Waterloo Summit, where municipal leaders, health-system partners, business leaders, researchers and students came together to identify shared priorities and strengthen the community's capacity to act on them. Throughout a series of panels and group discussions, several key themes emerged that shaped future engagement and action.

Building community through collaboration 

Former University of Waterloo president and 28th governor general of Canada, The Right Honourable David Johnston drew a local metaphor — barn-raising — to describe the region’s deep-rooted culture of empathy, trust, innovation and collective impact. 

That culture, he noted, underpins Waterloo's evolution into a growing health and med-tech ecosystem, from the University's School of Pharmacy to a planned hospital on campus that will bring together the best and brightest people from the region. He framed these investments not only as advances in care, but also as catalysts for research, talent attraction and stronger community well-being.

Johnston, who lived in Waterloo for 10 years and reflected fondly of his time in the region, also offered one long-term aspiration: that Waterloo become “the happiest region in Canada,” building on a tradition of collaboration that, as he framed it, is “what’s in the water at Waterloo.” 

Health shaped by housing, belonging and the built environment 

Municipal leaders highlighted how policy areas outside traditional health care — such as housing, recreation, transit and placemaking — carry enormous influence over physical and mental well-being. Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe emphasized “building neighbourhoods where people feel that social cohesion” as a key priority under her leadership and an essential infrastructure for a healthy Waterloo. 

These perspectives echoed decades of public health evidence: lifestyle factors, stress levels, social support and early childhood experiences predict health outcomes far more powerfully than medical care alone. 

Dr. Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor at Waterloo, cited research he previously conducted that shows a gradient across the country between health status and life expectancy. “If Ontarians matched British Columbia’s outcomes in key lifestyle determinants like diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and stress levels, we would add seven years life expectancy,” he said. His comment underscores the importance of community-wide action. 

Defining and building success together 

Participants pointed to ambitious but measurable goals: universal access to primary care teams, evidence-informed “social prescribing,” more equitable access to housing and sustained improvements in life satisfaction — shown in research to predict health outcomes as strongly as biomedical risks. 

Championing the Summit was Dr. Lili Liu, dean of the Faculty of Health, who noted, “Today, we have begun to shape our road map for tackling the health and well-being challenges that are important to our campus and our community. With these goals in place, we will leverage Waterloo’s innovation eco-system to create, test and implement new health strategies that are focused, impactful and people-centred.” 

As Waterloo looks towards its goals for Waterloo at 100, the Summit reinforced that the region is more than a place to study health — it is a living laboratory for testing solutions that matter locally and inspire change nationally and globally.  

Visitors Centre relocates to the Tatham Centre

A message from Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment.

The Visitors Centre (VC) has relocated from South Campus Hall to the Tatham Centre (TC) as part of a one-year pilot beginning February 2026. The move reflects a shared campus commitment to collaboration, flexibility and showcasing the very best of the Waterloo experience.

“Piloting the Visitors Centre in the Tatham Centre is a great example of what’s possible when we work together across units in the spirit of One Waterloo,” says Judene Pretti, Associate Provost (interim), Co-operative and Experiential Education. “I’m incredibly grateful to colleagues in Co-operative and Experiential Education and Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment who rolled up their sleeves to reimagine how we welcome future students and their families. This move reflects our shared commitment to collaboration, flexibility and putting the Waterloo experience on full display.”

The VC welcomes prospective students and their guests through campus, faculty-specific and AFIW-specific tours, helping position Waterloo as a top destination for post-secondary education. Campus visits are among the most influential decision-making activities for future students, with 95 per cent of survey respondents saying they are just as or more committed to Waterloo after an in-person tour. This past year, the VC welcomed more than 15,000 visitors, and tours rank among the top five most impactful activities in a student’s decision to accept an offer.

Located in TC, the heart of Waterloo’s world-leading co-operative education program, the new space offers visitors an authentic glimpse into student life and career development. By welcoming guests into an active co-op environment — where interview days and Employer Information Sessions take place — the Waterloo experience is on full display.

“This will make such a positive impact on a visitor’s experience at Waterloo,” says Kari Pasick Stewart, Director, Marketing and Communications, Undergraduate Recruitment. “Seeing Waterloo’s co-op program in action brings a whole new energy to their visit, and TC is such a bright and welcoming space. We have so much gratitude for our CEE partners and VC team who helped make this a reality.”

The upgraded space also offers:

• A welcoming first impression that reflects Waterloo’s reputation for innovation and excellence
• A dedicated registration desk and separate presentation area
• Seating for 30+ guests with presentation technology
• Display and storage space for tour and event materials
• Flexibility to expand during peak admission periods
• Office and break space for staff and student ambassadors
• Convenient parking, accessible entrances and washrooms
• Access to a nearby bookable room for special events and training

Join MUR on Thursday, March 12, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a drop-in reception to see the new space. 

Science in the City and other urban updates

There's still time to register for the Faculty of Science's Science in the City - Health Futures event, scheduled to take place tonight from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Velocity Innovation Arena.

"Researchers in Waterloo Region are working hard to understand the future of our health," says a note from Science. "Chronic pain affects millions of people. Annemarie Dedek is studying pain and connecting the lab to real-world health challenges to better understand how pain develops and persists. Juewen Liu is exploring how our DNA sequences are being targeted by drug delivery to advance medicine, diagnostics and treatment strategies Waterloo researchers are focused on finding solutions. Join us to explore some of the great things happening right in your backyard at the University of Waterloo."

The event is free. Please register.

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) is hosting a Writing Retreat on Sunday, March 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. "Write productively for an entire day in a community of peers!" declares the WCC. "Consultations with writing advisors; yoga and walking breaks; coffee/lunch/snacks are available." The retreat is designed for undergraduates, but is open to all undergraduate and graduate students.  

Registration is required.