Rebecca Mann Pennell, later Rebecca Mann Dean (1821-1890) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 educator, niece of prominent educator Horace Mann

Horace Mann

Horace Mann was an American education reformer, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827 to 1833. He served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1834 to 1837. In 1848, after serving as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education since its creation, he was...

, and the first woman to be appointed a full faculty member at an American college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

. She was one of the ten founding professors of Antioch College

Antioch College

Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...

 in Yellow Springs, Ohio

Yellow Springs, Ohio

Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the location of Antioch College and Antioch University Midwest. The population was 3,487 at the 2010 census...

, where she taught physical geography, drawing, natural history, civil history, and didactics. Pennell was the first female college professor who received the same rank and pay as her male colleagues and attended faculty meetings. Part of Pennell's salary was a home on campus, which still stands and is named for Pennell, as is a hall in one of Antioch College's dormitory buildings.