STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The new leader of Penn State’s Board of Trustees pledged Friday to create safe environments at the university system’s campuses and follow through on strengthening institutional oversight in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.

Schuylkill County potato farming executive Keith Masser was vice chairman before being elected to the top job on the university’s governing body on the second day of the board’s two-day meeting.

Masser takes over at a critical juncture as the school deals with the lingering fallout from the scandal involving Sandusky, a former assistant football coach who was convicted last year on dozens of criminal counts of child sex abuse. Prosecutors said abuse occurred on and off campus.

“What we do in the coming months will define Penn State for years to come,” Masser said in his acceptance speech. “We must, as a community, come together to strengthen and improve our university.”

Masser replaces Karen Peetz, who left the leadership post after a year. Peetz had cited time constraints after her promotion to president of Bank of New York Mellon.

Lawyer Stephanie Deviney, of Glenmoore, was elected vice chair. Masser and Deviney were the only candidates for their respective positions.

Among their other top priorities are the search for school president Rodney Erickson’s replacement; potential settlements with Sandusky’s accusers; and reforms to university governance.

The next meeting is scheduled for March in Hershey. Masser said the university expects by then to have received a final report from the U.S. Department of Education on whether the school violated the federal Clery Act, which mandates disclosure of campus crimes.

Earlier Friday, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, who is monitoring Penn State’s response to NCAA sanctions for Sandusky child molestation scandal, praised the university for offering its full cooperation with his oversight team.

Mitchell reiterated the findings from his initial report in November in addressing the school’s trustees. Mitchell said he or his team visit the university weekly, having already conducted 150 interviews across the school.

Mitchell, who is contracted to serve as the independent monitor through 2017, has said the school was off to a “very good start” in compliance. His next report is due in February.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)