Cookie bake off suggestion

Two ideas, that balance sweet & savory, but maybe too far from what your department expects. If so, maybe save them for family & friends:
Parmesan biscotti - great with a glass of wine or a bowl of soup
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/double_corn_parmesan_biscotti.html
Oatmeal cookies with dried cherries. These use schmaltz to balance the sweetness. If you don't have chicken fat available, duck fat, too, would likely be delicious.
epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Oatmeal-Cookies-with-Dried-Cherries-51150230

My guess is that many people will do brownies, so I would avoid them. These two have been very successful:
Maple Pecan Polvorones:
https://food52.com/recipes/20925-melt-in-your-mouth-maple-pecan-polvorones

Mocha Buttercrunch Bars:
https://food52.com/recipes/39721-mocha-buttercrunch-bars

Other ideas: scotch shortbread (easy and delicious). Joanne Chang's phenomenal "Intense Chocolate Brownies" from the Flour baking book (I use Scharffen Berger chocolate for them). They're soooooo good.

You could try these buttery crumb bars: https://food52.com/recipes/14877-sossie-beile-s-little-cherry-crumb-bars?from_feed=1
(I grew up with them; my mother's recipe from her mother...)

Those World Peace cookies are amazing, but read all the comments before you make them. Some cocoa powders are very dry, and the dough crumbles easily. If it were me, I think I'd make cookies that I know I make well. Raspberry crumb bar sounds delicious, by the way.