If Palms decides to seek the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Strom Thurmond, he indicated that July would be his likely departure date from University service. Palms marked his 10th anniversary in March as USC's president. To prepare for the possibility of Palms' departure, trustees approved a resolution that outlines how a presidential candidate search committee will be created, "at any time such a selection should be necessary."

The search committee resolution would create a 10-member committee to include five University trustees (one of whom would serve as committee chair), three University faculty members (including the incumbent chair of the Columbia campus Faculty Senate), a representative elected by the Columbia campus Faculty Senate, and a representative of the faculties of USC Aiken, USC Spartanburg, and the regional campuses to be selected mutually by those respective faculty senates.