WCU names Burnett as next president

William Carey University is naming Dr. Ben Burnett as its next president.

Burnett currently serves as executive vice-president and dean of WCU's School of Education. Burnett will succeed the retiring Dr. Tommy King in August.

William Carey University says in a statement Burnett began his career in education in 1986 as assistant band director for Meridian High School. In 1988, Burnett returned to the Lamar County School District to become band director at his alma mater, Oak Grove High School.

In 1997, the university said, Burnett moved into administration as Oak Grove Middle School's principal, a post he held for a decade. Burnett was elected superintendent of the Lamar County School District in 2007 and won re-election in 2011. Burnett retired from the school district in 2014 to accept the position of dean of William Carey University's School of Education.