Imam Adeel Zeb will be the next president of National Association of College and University Chaplains in the United States.
It's the first time a Muslim takes up the one year voluntary role.
Zeb said he hoped his appointment would encourage other non-Christians to enter into chaplaincy.
"When we were being sworn into our new positions, it felt like a civil rights moment," he told The Huffington Post.
Most American chaplains are Christians as they have to serve as the pastor of the on campus chapel too.
