I'll agree with this setup, for the OP's friends purposes, this would be the best all-around setup. Although Abstract's D300 setup is very nice as well, there's such a thing as having too many lenses. The lenses Grimace recommends is the "holy trinity" of canon L zooms, and if OP's friend is going into a photo program, most schools require at least a little bit of film so these quality lenses would be perfect for shooting on an old EOS 3 or elan, ect.
If all $8000 have to be spent right away, then it'd probably be wise to use it all otherwise it'd be a lot wiser to get these all-around lenses and from that see what accessories she'll need as time progresses.
I'd recommend the new 40D over the 5D, just because most won't need FF for their shooting yet. It'll save quite a bit of money, and I'd expect that it'll have a higher resale value than the 5D (in terms of % of initial price paid), plus with the extra money you can get a fantastic prime lens, like the 35mm f/1.4L for $1200, or the godly 85mm f/1.2 for $1800 (that is if she'd know how to use this tricky DOF master).
If she needs a tripod then get one, if she doesn't then don't. I almost never use a tripod (or zooms) for shooting, but that's just my style. Investing in a lighting setup would be incredibly valuable for shooting portraits professionally. A nice setup runs anywhere between $300 if your really tight on cash to a couple thousand for a nice studio setup. (This is coming from someone who is all about portraits/lighting).
Purchasing a general photography setup is by far the cheapest, and also by far the most expensive to invest in unless you know what you'll need down the line. But a plus side for buying expensive gear, you'll be able to unload it for some cash to another fellow photographer when you want to upgrade.
I'd also advise to stay within the general Canon/Nikon/Pentax/Sony range and ignore the Leica just because $8000 is a lot less when you go Leica. There's always more to buy with photographic gear...
