Apple CEO Tim Cook visits Glasgow, Scotland store prior to honorary degree award

Cook briefly made himself available to store staff and customers according to STV News, and received a pair of gifts from staffers — a tartan scarf and an embroidered picture of himself, and the Loch Ness Monster.

The University of Glasgow will award Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday with an honorary doctorate of science, as well as host a "fireside chat" open to students, staff, and alumni. The event is completely sold out, and was limited to "a few hundred" staff and students, according to organizers.

Cook is being praised at the university for shepherding "innovative new products and services," as well as charitable donations by workers, and a move towards using renewable energy to power Apple's offices, stores, and data centers.

The event also highlights Cook and Apple's regular leading positions in Fortune rankings, and Cook's personal awards from the Human Rights Campaign and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights. Recently the CEO won a "Free Expression Award" from the Newseum, a museum and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

The CEO has received honorary degrees in the past, namely from George Washington University. His regular degrees include one in industrial engineering from Auburn University in Alabama, and an MBA from Duke University in North Carolina.

Cook has been touring European locations in recent days, including visits to Germany and France . It is unclear when the trip concludes.