TORONTO — Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) has announced that Dr. Louise Cowin, Executive Director of Athletics & Recreation, will retire on July 18, 2025, after six years of visionary leadership.
Since joining TMU in 2019, Dr. Cowin has overseen a period of tremendous growth, achievement, and resilience within the Athletics & Recreation department. She led the development and launch of Raising the Bar, the department's five-year strategic plan, and provided steady leadership through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring continued support for student-athletes and the department of Athletics & Recreation.
Under her leadership, TMU Athletics & Recreation celebrated a series of landmark accomplishments. The women's basketball team made history with a national championship win in 2022, while the men's hockey team earned three OUA medals and placed fourth nationally at three U SPORTS championships. TMU Bold teams consistently advanced to OUA semi-finals, and competitive club programs rose to national prominence—earning two U SPORTS medals and elevating TMU's profile across the university sport landscape. Dr. Cowin also played a key role in guiding the department through the transition from the Ryerson Rams to TMU Bold, ushering in a new era of identity and pride for the university's varsity programs.
Concurrent with the accomplishments in Athletics, Recreation also advanced leaps and bounds. Many parts of the Recreation Athletic Centre (RAC) were rejuvenated, remodelled and enhanced, diversity of programming was expanded, and student participation rose year over year. The balance of funds and focus between Athletics and Recreation in any Canadian university setting is always a challenge. Cowin believed the calibration reset during her tenure will stand TMU Recreation in good stead into the future.
As part of the transition, TMU will move into a two-director leadership model. Nick Asquini, a long-time member of the Athletics & Recreation team who has served the department for nearly 20 years, will become Director of Athletics, leading varsity and competitive sport. Most recently, Asquini served as Director, Varsity Operations, where he played a key role in supporting high-performance success across TMU's programs. Andrew Pettit will continue in his role as Director of Recreation, Equity & Active Well-Being, leading inclusive recreation programming that promotes health, wellness, and community engagement for TMU students and the broader community.
TMU extends its heartfelt thanks to Dr. Cowin for her transformative leadership and dedication to student-athletes, coaches, and the broader TMU community. Her thoughtful leadership, grounded presence, and commitment to excellence have left a lasting imprint on Athletics & Recreation that will be felt for years to come.
For more news and updates, visit tmubold.ca or follow @tmubold and @recreationtmu on social media.
