News
- With a 25-year career serving the university, the doctor in Social and Organizational Psychology in the Knowledge Society accepted the oath that signifies a commitment to public higher education, to the Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá regions, and to the development of the far north of Chile.
Source: UTA Communications
Since its founding in 1981, starting from the The merger of the Professional Institute, former headquarters of the University of Chile, and the Arica headquarters of the University of the North, the The University of Tarapacá (UTA) will have its first female rector, representing the highest university authority. Jenniffer Peralta Montecinos, PhD in Social and Organizational Psychology in the Knowledge Society, assumed the position this Friday, July 24, for the 2026-2030 term.
“When I first crossed the entrance of the Saucache Campus in 1991 to study Psychology, I never imagined that so many years later I would be here, honored, assuming the responsibility of leading this university,” said Dr. Peralta.
“Therefore,” she continued, “assuming the rectorship means accepting the responsibility of leading a university to which I belong and which has decisively contributed to shaping the woman and academic that I am. On this basis, I come here to put my training and experience at the service of our noble institutional mission.”.
The UTA has the mission of generating, developing and transmitting higher knowledge with a vocation for excellence, so that it contributes to society through research and innovation, education, learning and the training of people with a critical and reflective spirit and the bi-directional link with actors and needs of its environment.
“The new Organic Statute, DFL-16, provides us with a renewed institutional framework and calls upon us to exercise our roles with relevance and a sense of mission,” noted Peralta, who led the Tri-Estamental Committee for the design of the new Statute and directed its implementation process.
During the ceremony, the outgoing rector, Dr. Emilio Rodríguez Ponce, pointed out that these acts express a gesture of “institutional continuity, respect for democratic rules and confidence in a community that is capable of renewing its leadership without interrupting its mission.».
«We know that the exercise of authority is temporary; the university precedes and transcends us. Those of us who have the honor of leading it know that this is a work that has been built by many generations, and what we do is try to improve this work and hand it over, of course, in better condition than when we received it. That is the responsibility of whoever leads an institution,» Rodríguez stated.
Regarding the milestone of being the first woman to assume the highest representative position at UTA, Rector Peralta shared that “I do not see it as an exclusively personal achievement, but as an expression of the path opened by many women who, from different places and responsibilities, have contributed to the development of our University, expanding the possibilities of participation and leadership.”.
Rector Peralta is a licensed psychologist from UTA, holds a Master's degree in Government and Public Management, an MBA, and a Master's degree in Management; and a PhD in Social and Organizational Psychology in the Knowledge Society from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, a degree obtained with distinction. Cum Laude unanimously.
Her career in university administration is extensive and diverse. She has served as Head of the Psychology Department, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences, Director of Academic Development and Research and Academic Extension, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Strategic Development, Director of the Iquique Campus, and elected member of the Board of Directors, among other positions. She is currently a member of the Regional Productive Development Committee, and her research focuses on psychosocial risk factors, justice and psychosocial well-being, coexistence, and work climate and quality of life.
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