Muslim chaplain has helped guide, grow community
When Numan Dugmeoglu arrived at Cornell in November of 2023 to serve as the university’s Muslim chaplain, he joined a community in transition.
The university’s first Muslim chaplain, Yasin Ahmed, had departed in August of 2022, after five years in the chaplaincy. Without a leader for more than a year, the burden of programming – both social and spiritual – to engage and support Cornell’s Muslim community fell to students.
Enter Dugmeoglu. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he learned to navigate generational and cultural differences as a first-generation American. He graduated from Drexel University, a school without a Muslim chaplaincy, in 2016 and, like the students he now counsels, he has experienced ups and downs along his spiritual journey.
“Everything is about love and service,” Dugmeoglu said. “My door is open to anyone from any faith who is on a journey toward connection with a higher power. We want to cultivate an environment that makes space for everyone’s identity and personal experience.”