With more than twenty years experience as a professor, Trumpey has taught a wide array of courses in illustration, drawing, environment, sustainability and design. He excels in experiential, field-based education and is the recipient of the University’s prestigious Undergraduate Teaching Award.

Trumpey is an Associate Professor of Art at the Stamps School of Art & Design and an Associate Professor of Natural Resources at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.

The University of Michigan has been an ideal institution for me to grow and build depth in my teaching. I had strong teacher mentors as an undergraduate at a small liberal arts college, and as a result I have naturally modeled my teaching style to be highly engaged and demanding while providing a lot of student independence. Twenty years ago I was teaching very focused, technical courses in a professional medical illustration program. As windows of opportunity presented themselves, I began offering courses that engaged students with the environment, dealt with culture and sustainability. I have been successful in forging strong interdisciplinary connections at the university evidenced by my dual appointment. Today I offer a balance of courses dealing with Food Systems, Science Illustration, Art and the Environment, and EcoExplorers. I am very pleased to be teaching in a small school at a large research university. This allows opportunities for highly engaged teaching while providing endless opportunities for students to take advantage of the diversity a large institution provides.

I strongly believe in the power of the creative process. I am confident that the best innovations and movements for environmental sustainability will come from communities that support and promote the creativity of its citizens. I am dedicated in building pedagogy that will create that future. I have recently termed this concept the Vernacular Creative Movement.

Another important aspect of my role as educator at the University of Michigan has been my work as Director of International Engagement. During my tenure in that position I expanded the number of exchange programs for the school, expanded my own international teaching and, most importantly, facilitated an international engagement requirement for all of our students. This requirement is unique at the University and even the state of Michigan. I am continuing to work on evaluating the outcomes of how this requirement is affecting the students and our entire community.

Click here for a list of all the courses I have taught at the University of Michigan.