Ben Burnett, president of William Carey University, couldn’t have asked for a better 60th birthday president on February 12.
During a news conference that day at the renovated Wheeler House – which is located next to the school’s soccer fields on William Cary Parkway in Hattiesburg – university officials dedicated the home as the new Burnett family home. Burnett, who recently moved into the residence, is the first president to live on campus since 1997.
He first announced his intention to live in the home in the fall of 2022, right after his inauguration as WCU’s 10th president.
“During my tenure as your president, I hope the people are going to say that I honored the past of William Carey University, because the past of this university is great,” Burnett said. “But I also hope you’ll say that I pointed us to the future of what we can become, because even though we have a great past, our best is yet to come.
“Part of that formula, in my opinion, has to be creating an on-campus atmosphere, and I told the board of trustees I wanted to have an on-campus presence here, so we could always be part of the campus culture. Today’s dedication is a huge step to honor the past, and also point us toward the future and continue to build that culture.”
The two-story, colonial-style Wheeler House was constructed in 1962, during the presidency of Ralph J. Noonkester. The architect for the project was Stephen Blair, who also designed several schools in Hattiesburg and the surrounding area, along with banks, residences and government buildings.
The home is named for Donna Duck Wheeler, a longtime WCU alumni director. In addition to serving as the president’s home, the Wheeler House also has been home to several university offices and departments.
“This great house … holds so many memories for a lot of people, and some of you grew up walking around the halls of this house,” Burnett told the crowd. “It points to the future because we can now start building those memories for our current students, our current alumni, faculty and staff.
“Those memories are going to help us recruit support, not only with students, but also other supporters of William Carey for years to come.”
Myron Noonkester, dean of the WCU School of Arts & Letters and the son of Ralph Noonkester, intended to be at the dedication ceremony but was unable to attend because of illness. Myron, who grew up in the Wheeler House while his father was president, sent several remarks in his absence.
“Today is a happy day,” Myron’s remarks stated. “My parents bore many important burdens in this house – there were always concerns about keeping the school financially afloat and responding to all the pressures accompanying the presidency at a small college.
“William Carey University would not be here if were not for those stresses and worries. It is of unique comfort to me that this house will once again be the president’s home. This house mixes the private and the public aspects of William Carey University.”
After the dedication ceremony, participants were allowed to take a tour throughout the entire house, which is decorated with several items of art, including painting and pottery.
Burnett was inaugurated on October 10, 2022 to take over for former president Tommy King, who served in that position for 15 years. Burnett brings 36 years of experience in the field of education to the role, including serving as executive vice president of WCU.
His experience stretches back to 1986, when he served as assistant band director for Meridian High School. Two years later, he returned to his alma mater, Oak Grove High School, to become band director there.
While under Burnett’s leadership, the Oak Grove band consistently rated superior and grew from 50 members to more than 220. Burnett has served as president of the Mississippi Bandmasters and was the recipient of the A.E. McClain Outstanding Young Band Director award and was inducted into the Southeast Mississippi Band Directors’ Association Hall of Fame in 2013.
In 1997, Burnett began a 10-year stint as principal of Oak Grove Middle School, during which time he also was president of the Mississippi Association of Middle Level Education and Mississippi’s Middle School Principal of the Year.
In August 2007, Burnett was elected as superintendent of the Lamar County School District, a position he was re-elected to four years later. While he was at that position, the school district was rated an “A” school district by the Mississippi Department of Education, and received state and federal grants for early childhood, school safety, dyslexia training and after-school tutoring.
Burnett retired in 2014, but soon after accepted the position of dean of the William Carey University School of Education. He was named executive vice president in April 2020 before taking over as president.
Burnett has received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational leadership and administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. Some of his other awards include the Governor’s Education Taskforce, MASA Golden Lamp Award, MSBA Beacon Award, Mississippi Gifted Advocate Award, Lamar Times Person of the Year, Lamar County Teacher of the Year and inclusion in the Southeast Mississippi Band Directors Hall of Fame.
He served as a board member of YMCA of Hattiesburg, United Way, Bethany Christian Services, Dream of Hattiesburg, Child Evangelism Fellowship of Mississippi, Pearl River Community College, Gulf Coast Education Initiative, Pine Belt 360 and PREPS Inc. Burnett also was a treasurer of the Mississippi Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and a member of Mississippi Professional Educators, Phi Delta Kappa, the Rotary Club and Speech Language Task Force.
He is married to Denice Burnett; the couple has one son, David Lane Burnett.
