Bennett received his Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication, Master of Education, and Education Specialist degrees from Middle Tennessee State University and earned his Ed.D.

[2][3][4] Shortly after his appointment, the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern Mississippi was struck by an EF4 tornado, which did not involve any loss of life due to a students' break for the Mardi Gras holiday.

[5] In 2017, William Carey University, also located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was struck by a tornado, and Bennett's leadership in providing temporary space at the University of Southern Mississippi later resulted in him being honored with a doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, from William Carey.

[6] He was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa in 2019 at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Bennett was the first African-American president of a historically and predominantly white higher education institution in Mississippi.