John Palms
President of the University of South Carolina
In office 1991–2002
Preceded by	Arthur K. Smith (acting)
Succeeded by	Andrew A. Sorenson
6th president of Georgia State University
In office 1989–1991
Preceded by	William M. Suttles
Succeeded by	Sherman Day
Personal details
Born	(1935-06-06) June 6, 1935 (age 89) Rijswijk, Netherlands
Alma mater	The Citadel Emory University University of New Mexico

John Michael Palms (born June 6, 1935, in Rijswijk, Netherlands) is an American military officer, nuclear physicist and college professor who also served as president of the University of South Carolina and Georgia State University.^[1][2][3]

John Michael Palms was born on June 6, 1935, in Rijswijk, the Netherlands. His family moved to the United States during World War II, and permanently settled in 1951. Palms became a naturalized citizen in 1956. He attended The Citadel and graduated in 1958. Whilst in the United States Air Force, Palms earned a masters degree in physics from Emory University in 1959, and later a docorate from the University of New Mexico.^[4]

Palms worked in the United States Air Force as a nuclear weapons officer. After leaving the service, he worked for over two decades at Emory University. He worked as president of Georgia State for two years, and then as president of the University of South Carolina for twelve years. He then became a distinguished professor at South Carolina for five years. After his retirement in 2007, the university made him a professor emeritus.^[4]

In 2012, Palms and his wife donated $1 million to the Department of Religious Studies at the University of South Carolina.^[5]