A DEGREE of satisfaction, a degree of regret.
That may be the sum of the feelings of the students graduating next week from the Glasgow School of Art, particularly those from the disciplines of the fine arts.
They have been allocated their marks; they have successfully completed their courses. What they do not have is a traditional Degree Show to cap their years of hard work and study, thanks to last month's fire that ravaged the renowned Mackintosh building.
This may have consequences for the CVs of the students, who each were able to display merely a digital print to represent their skill, graft, ingenuity and creativity. What they do have, though, is an unprecedented esprit de corps and sense of belonging. The graduating class of 2014 will go down in history for having risen from the ashes of crushing disappointment. They have been tried in the furnace, and their spirit has not been found wanting. And they have forged friendships that will last a lifetime.
Like those charged with carrying forward the great traditions of the Glasgow School of Art, these students have much to reflect on, and a great deal to look forward to.
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