Thanks with lattes and cookies

As one of their final ‘good-byes,’ Chancellor Bruce Shepard and his wife Cyndie passed out free lattes and cookies to students, faculty and staff Thursday morning (May 15) at the Common Grounds café in the University Union.

The barista's secret

Chancellor Shepard said the “secret is in how you pour it,” while he served up steaming hot cups of caffeinated goodness. Shepard roasted and ground the Ethiopian beans himself at home in previous nights specifically for the give-away. He said he wasn't about to give out any old coffee to the friends he served.

Famed phoenix cookies

Next to him, Cyndie passed out about 400 of her famous Phoenix sugar cookies. They were the same recipe from the cookies that attracted widespread attention — for both taste and political reasons — seven years ago when Bruce started as Chancellor. Facing a state budget crunch, the Shepards chose to serve only cookies, coffee and punch at a reception after Bruce’s inauguration ceremony, instead of a potentially much more expensive meal.

Fond wishes

Students, faculty and staffed lined up in the hallway and almost out the Union’s main entrance for the free flavors and, of course, to say ‘good-bye’ one last time to the Shepards, who will soon return to the West Coast as Bruce becomes president of Western Washington University.

University Communication
photos by Mike Heine