London, May 28 (IANS): Musician Sting whose given name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, has received an honorary degree from Ivy League school Brown University on its 250th commencement, for his contribution to the environment.

The Rhode Island school presented the degree to the musician who formed the pioneering British rock band The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers in 1977 and co-founded an environmental organisation, the Rainforest Fund, to protect the world's rainforests, on Sunday, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

The ceremony took place at the First Baptist Church in America from the Brown campus, the oldest Baptist church congregation in the US.

Sting, who has received 16 Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, among other accolades till date, has churned out hit tracks like "Desert rose", "Roxanne", "Seven days", "Fields of gold" and "Every Breath You Take", among others.