Monday, March 30, 2026

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• Ray Darling's term as Registrar begins
• Martin Cooke named Associate Vice-President, Academic
• Annual sunshine list published

• Check out the Science and Math Communications showcase

• Monday's notes

Ray Darling's term as Registrar begins

The Once and Future Registrar has returned. Ray Darling’s term as University Registrar begins today.

Darling comes to Waterloo from the University of Windsor, where he has served as Registrar since May 2023. Prior to that, he spent six years as the Registrar at the University of Guelph, where he had originally begun his academic career in 1991. He was also Registrar of Wilfrid Laurier University from 2007 to 2014. 

Darling served as Waterloo’s University Registrar from 2014 to 2017. During his earlier tenure at Waterloo, he championed transformative initiatives that strengthened the student experience and advanced equity across the sector, including important work in strategic enrolment management and the implementation of gender-neutral identification and language for Ontario university application forms.

Throughout his career, Darling has held leadership positions within Registrar Associations across Canada and North America and has supported peer institutions through consulting, advocating for diverse student populations and furthering the development of OneStop Service models that remove barriers and enhance student success. 

The Office of the Registrar is the central administrative unit working in co-operation with faculties and departments across the University to administer undergraduate programs, prepare data for internal groups, and submit data to various government and external agencies. 

Welcome back, Ray!

Martin Cooke named Associate Vice-President, Academic

"I am pleased to announce that Martin Cooke has been appointed Associate Vice-President, Academic effective July 1, 2026," wrote interim Vice-President, Academic and Provost Tom Duever in a memo sent to Executive Council on Friday. 

"Since 2023, Martin has served in the role of Assistant Vice-President, Leadership and Strategic Initiatives within the Office of the Vice-President, Academic. In this role, he has played a central part in convening the Academic Leadership Program and in shaping the University’s strategic direction through his contributions as a member of the leadership group of the Academic Innovation Working Group and the Global Futures Fund Steering Committee," Duever writes. "Martin also provides key advice and support to the Vice-President, Academic on a wide range of strategic and cross-portfolio initiatives." 

"In both his current position and his previous role as Associate Dean, Students within the Faculty of Arts, Martin has demonstrated thoughtful, collaborative, and principled leadership. He brings deep institutional knowledge, a strong commitment to academic excellence, and extensive experience in advancing the University’s academic mission through partnership and engagement."

"I would like to thank David DeVidi for his dedicated and thoughtful leadership, and for his outstanding service as the Vice-President, Academic since 2019," the provost's memo continues. "I would also like to thank the members of the Associate Vice-President, Academic Advisory Nominating Committee. Please join me in thanking David for his service and congratulating Martin on this appointment."

Annual sunshine list published

One of the surest signs of spring has arrived: The University of Waterloo has released a list of the 2,376 employees who were paid more than $100,000 in 2025.

The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act was passed in 1996 and for the last 30 years, public sector employers in Ontario have been required to publish the list every March. Other universities, school boards, hospitals, colleges, municipalities, and the government itself are now making similar information for last year public.

The $100,000 list includes most of Waterloo's professors, and several staff members and senior administrators. It includes people employed by Conrad Grebel University College, Renison University College, and United College. St. Jerome’s University reports its salary disclosure list separately.

In addition to the salary, a figure is given for taxable benefits received by each individual, for such extras as employer-paid life insurance.

Last year's salary disclosure is also available online.

Check out the Science and Math Communications showcase

A message from the Faculty of Arts.

Drop by the Science and Math Communication Showcase this week!

On April 1 and 2, students from 36 English and Communication Arts classes will be coming together to present their end-of-term projects in the Science and Math Communication showcase! You're invited to drop by at any point throughout the two-day event to ask the students about their work and see their projects.

Where: Science Teaching Complex (STC) — 2nd floor foyer
When: Wednesday, April 1, 8:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. and Thursday, April 2, 10:00 a.m. to 5:20 p.m.

For more details, check out the showcase website.

Monday's notes

Friends and former colleagues of Gary Waller are invited to an informal celebration of life on Monday, April 6, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Estate Room at the Charcoal Steakhouse in Kitchener.

Dr. Waller, a professor in Waterloo’s Psychology department, was one of Waterloo's more prolific senior administrators, serving as associate dean and department chair in Psychology, as acting Dean of Research, a long stint as Associate Provost (Academic and Student Affairs), then again as interim Dean of Research, and as the second Director of the Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education (WatCACE, now the Work-Learn Institute) in a career that spanned from 1968 to 2005 (and then some - in retirement he continued as Director of the Academic Learning Program until 2016).  

"In keeping with Gary's wishes, no speeches are planned, but toasts and tales would be most welcome at a light and relaxed celebration of a life well-lived," says an announcement from Waller's family.

Biomedical Engineering Research Day 2026 or BME Research Day is on Wednesday, April 8, in the Conrad Lecture Room (PSE 2317). The event is a "showcase of the remarkable research of students in the Biomedical Engineering graduate programs," says a note from organizers. The event will feature student presentations and a keynote presentation by Youssef Helwa, CEO and co-founder of FluidAI Medical, and networking opportunities. Attendance from across campus is welcome.