New ZIP code arrives after long wait

“The largest Christian school in the whole world has is its own zip code?” graphic design major Andrew Pierce said.
“About time.”

Liberty University now has its own unique zip code: 24515.

The process for getting a unique zip code has been ongoing for years according to Lisa Worley, manager of Liberty’s post office.

“This has actually been a process that has been going on for about five years,” Worley said. “It is something that goes through the chain of command of the postal service and just takes years to implement … It is a unique zip code for the university, and that was the goal.”

The zip code identifies mail and packages as going to Liberty specifically.

“The unique zip code, what that does, is tells the post office if they see that zip code, it goes to Liberty, whereas with 24502, it could go anywhere in our section of the city,” Worley said. “It helps speed of service with the U.S. postal service. It makes us stand out when they are sorting and packaging their mail.”

The 24502 zip code will take some time to phase out, according to Worley. This process is estimated to take about a year, but could be more or less depending on how quickly students, parents and their contacts are made aware of the new zip code.

“We know it’s going to take time, and the post office knows that as well,” Worley said.

Notification of parents and students is not the only reason that the phase out may take time.

“I hope it doesn’t take that long,” Worley said. “We just don’t want the staff to have to purchase new letterhead and waste things that they have that have the 24502 zip code, because they can still use what they have. It’s just going to take some time.”

Mail with the 24502 zip code will still go through, but might take longer to sort.

“It can take longer just because it goes through Lynchburg and then to Liberty, whereas if you put 24515, it’ll go straight to Liberty’s mail,” Worley said. “It’s just one of those things. It should get here, and there should be no concerns as far as anything that still has 24502 on it.”

The zip code came in part by the sheer amount of mail processed by Liberty, according to Worley.

“Whether it’s FedEx or the U.S. Postal Service, we are definitely one of the biggest drops for them,” Worley said.

According to Glen Connors, a finance major, he thinks this is another step forward for Liberty.

“I think it is just a sign of growth,” Connors said. “And I’m proud.”