Without knowing food preferences I'd go Italian. Spaghetti w a bolognese sauce and garlic bread is easy and reasonably quick unless you do the Full Batali. Or a "sunday gravy" with pasta.
Indian or middle eastern food isn't guaranteed to be a hit unless you have an adventurous group. Out of 26 college students there might be a few who will only eat mac and cheese with hot dogs LOL. I'd do a poll and see if there are any hated cuisines among your audience.
Removing a "starter scoop" is important. Maybe even before the dish hits the table. Newton's Law of Potluck-dynamics states "a dish uneaten tends to stay uneaten"
A potluck dish has to have its flavors either obvious or very easily expected. Deviled eggs, Italian pasta dishes and MacCheese speak for themselves and are popular (tho they can still really suck). A casserole hidden under a crust is a lottery that may not be worth space on my plate and just sit there taking up valuable real estate.
If it lasted you for five or six jobs you could bury the cost in a slight increase in fees. Of course the job that it died during would have a problem. And ghetto sous vide is fine for warming stuff.
Yes, quality is the worry.Heating elements live forever, but not temp probes or motors. And this unit looks like the motor must be tiny. But at $169....
Shrimp pane, a Pepin recipe, shrimp bound together with a shrimp mousse, bread-crumbed and pan fried. On romaine with sherry vinegar/hazelnut oil. JPWCthose spinach/cheese quenelles look great!
So here's my latest failed tea egg. Boiled x 5 minutes, cracked vigorously, then boiled for 20 minutes in soy/tea/spice/caramel color mix. Then sit for two days in the fridge in the tea mixture. The membrane got good color...