I currently instruct at UND and agree with both of your points. First of all to lay it out there I haven't instructed outside of UND so I make no claim to have any of the answers compared to life at another school.
Contrail:
1. Yes you do get guaranteed students even though it has it's busy and slow times for instructors. I think one good quality of UND is that if you do have an MEI you could have upwards of 3-5 multi students a semester when another instructor at an FBO may see that many students, in this economy, over 2 years. Bad quality, some semesters you may have 3 students total all Private or Basic Instrument. It can be hit or miss.
2. Great leads into the industry? If people do not know this by now they may be helpless but having experience (hours and quality hours nowdays , i.e. TT, PIC, Multi, turbine) and the proper certs is the only lead into the industry no matter where you come from.
Also where are these great leads? Great leads into an underpaid (as in you take a pay cut when leaving your CFI gigs for an RJ), poor QOL, regional jobs. Great leads come from networking.
3. Good Airplanes. Yes UND does have wonderful maintenance. Those guys work hard to keep our fleet the way it is and are the backbone of UND. Props to them.
4. Multi Students. Yes you do have a great opportunity to have more multi students than a FBO. With that many undergrad and contract students you have access to a high potential of multi students, but no guarantee. Like previously stated I don't know to many FBO's with to many non foreign contract students with Multi students lining up.
5. There are some other pros to UND like Twebb said. Life and health insurance, low cost of living, and records (another backbone of UND that as instructors we take for granted).
Let me make this clear, it may sound like I am one big UND cheerleader but that is far from true. I look at the personal benefits for me, in my situation not from any other person, to each their own.
Cons:
1. The scenery, weather, some UND policies, some of the people within the organization.
2. Yes the MEI program is a scam and with the newly instituted policy that you have to receive your MEI at UND to be guaranteed standardization it makes it even more troubling. 10K is a real high estimate for the cert. I paid 4.5K. Could I have got it for less absolutely. Could I have done a 3 day program and not go through 20 lessons, no question. But hey UND is a BUSINESS and supply and demand allows them to require it from UND to teach there, right or wrong who knows? Who knows whether the policy will change in 3, 6, or 12 months.
3. Pay. Based on pay grade you can make anywhere from 11-25 an hour. That is low compared to FBO's or freelance instructors, but after a few months their is no reason why you could be making 19/hr with a CFII and if you are willing to work hard 25K is achievable. (still a pathetic yearly income but look at the pay rates of the regionals that are hiring). If you can go to an FBO and make more go for it, it;s probably a good opportunity.
Overall, for many UND, just like other flight instructing gigs are jobs not careers. If you can financial make it work and are happy then more power to you. Just like any job, UND is not for everyone.
In response to the original question:
No I don't foresee a lot of hiring activity at UND in the very near future because of leaving instructors. A few have been hired by the regionals that have recently started hiring. Many of the more experienced instructors could have left a year or two years ago in the "big" hiring spree but didn't for whatever reason. I don't foresee a mass exodus from UND number one hiring hasn't picked up that much, two there are a lot of guys on the street those airlines would rather have than a 3 year CFI, and three those guys are still at UND waiting for Skywest, expressjet, 135 or whatever, probably not Gojet, Great Lakes, or Colgan.
I hope this can shed a little light on "MY" opinion and experience with UND. Like I have said it is based on personal experience. I am here for my own reasons and opportunities and after a much thought and consideration decided to make the best of the circumstances.
Best of luck to all and Wapilot for your sake I hope you find something whether that be UND or someplace else.