이재명 대통령이 29일 이진숙 전 충남대학교 총장을 교육부 장관 후보자로 지명했다. 대통령비서실은 이날 발표에서 이 후보자가 지방 국립대 출신의 첫 여성 총장으로서, 과학기술과 교육 정책에 걸쳐 다양한 경험을 갖춘 인물이라고 소개하며, 교육 균형 발전과 미래 인재 육성을 위한 적임자라고 평가했다.

이진숙 후보자는 1960년 대전에서 태어나 대전여자고등학교를 졸업한 뒤 충남대학교 건축공학교육과에서 학사와 석사 학위를, 일본 도쿄공업대에서는 건축환경계획 박사 학위를 받았다. 1989년 충남대 건축공학과 교수로 부임한 이래 건축학부장, 공과대학장, 국제교류본부장, 여교수협의회 회장 등을 거치며 학내 주요 보직을 두루 맡아왔다.

2020년에는 충남대 제19대 총장으로 선출되어 2024년까지 재임했으며, 총장 재직 당시 교직원, 학생, 행정직원이 모두 참여하는 직선제로 선출된 첫 사례였다. 모교 출신이자 여성으로서 총장직을 맡은 것은 충남대 역사상 처음이었다. 총장 임기 중에는 전국국공립대학교총장협의회 회장직도 수행하며 대학교육 전반의 제도 개선과 지방대 발전 논의에 참여했다.

총장 퇴임 이후에는 교수직으로 복귀하는 한편, 대전시 총괄건축가로 활동하며 도시정책과 공공 건축의 조율에도 힘을 보탰다. 또한 대통령 직속 국가과학기술자문회의 위원과 국가건축정책위원회 위원을 역임하며 중앙정부 자문기구에서도 활동했다.

이번 개각에서 이 후보자는 전문성과 상징성을 두루 갖춘 인사로 꼽히며, 향후 고등교육 재정 개편, 지방대학 지원 확대, 이공계 교육 강화 등의 정책에 적극 나설 것으로 전망된다.

President Lee Jae-myung nominated Lee Jin-sook, former president of Chungnam National University, as the candidate for Minister of Education on the 29th. The Presidential Office introduced the candidate as someone with diverse experiences in science, technology, and education policies, being the first female president from a local national university, and evaluated her as a suitable person for promoting balanced development in education and nurturing future talents.

Candidate Lee Jin-sook was born in Daejeon in 1960, graduated from Daejeon Girls' High School, obtained a bachelor's and master's degree in architectural engineering from Chungnam National University, and a Ph.D. in architectural environmental planning from Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. Since joining Chungnam University as a professor in the Department of Architectural Engineering in 1989, she has held various key positions within the university, including head of the Department of Architecture, dean of the College of Engineering, director of International Affairs, and chair of the Women Professors Association.

She was elected as the 19th president of Chungnam National University in 2020 and served until 2024. During her tenure as president, she was the first case where faculty, students, and administrative staff were all directly elected through a direct election system. Being an alumna of the university and the first female president in the history of Chungnam National University, she actively participated in discussions on institutional improvements in higher education and the development of local universities as the chair of the National Association of Presidents of National Universities during her presidency.

After retiring as president, she returned to her position as a professor and also worked as the chief architect of Daejeon, contributing to urban policies and coordinating public architecture. Furthermore, she served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology and the National Architecture Policy Committee, actively engaging in central government advisory bodies.

In this reshuffle, the candidate is regarded as a person with both expertise and symbolism, and is expected to actively participate in policies such as reforming higher education finances, expanding support for local universities, and strengthening education in science and engineering fields in the future.