STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- A former senator named to oversee Penn State's compliance with NCAA sanctions has an honorary degree from the school.

The Centre Daily Times reports former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell attended the May 1999 commencement ceremony for Penn State's College of Health and Human Development and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

Officials say Mitchell has received honorary degrees from more than 40 colleges and universities.

The NCAA on Wednesday tapped Mitchell to evaluate Penn State for the next five years. He'll monitor the school's compliance and make sure it adheres to the athletic integrity agreement it will reach with both the NCAA and the Big Ten. Mitchell will make recommendations to ensure Penn State enhances its commitment to "NCAA and Big Ten principles, values, ethics and rules."

Mitchell was the same person Major League Baseball commissioned to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the sport. The Mitchell report was released in December 2007.

Information from ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg was used in this report.