IOWA CITY — A finalist for the top job at the University of Iowa said he wouldn’t aim to push large-scale changes but has a track record for effecting change in academic establishments.

Mark Becker, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of South Carolina, met with the Iowa Board of Regents for about 90 minutes Wednesday.

The 48-year-old is one of four finalists to be interviewed this week by the regents and to participate in on-campus interviews at the university, which is seeking to replace David Skorton, who left last year for Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y.

While Becker said he wouldn’t rush to make changes, he touted his efforts to bring greater depth and breadth to the University of Minnesota when he worked there, and at South Carolina.

“I seek first to understand and to be understood. Before you can go in and change you need to understand the problem,” he said.

“You will find that I have a track record and a reputation for effecting change and positive change and change that’s been embraced – perhaps at a little bit faster pace than it’s historically happened at these universities.”

Becker said one of his first goals as Iowa president would be to learn about the university and it’s culture.

On Tuesday, the regents interviewed Charles Bantz, chancellor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Philip Furmanski, executive director for academic affairs at Rutgers University.

The fourth finalist, Sally Mason, a provost at Purdue University, was expected to be interviewed later on Wednesday.

The regents have scheduled a meeting for Sunday morning to discuss the candidates.