Contact Union

402.486.2600
ucinfo@ucollege.edu

3800 S. 48th St.
Lincoln, NE 68506 USA

Enrollment Services

402.486.2504
enroll@ucollege.edu
Admissions homepage

Alumni/Giving

402.486.2503
alumni@ucollege.edu
Advancement homepage

Personnel directory
×
×

background trapezoid Union College Union College | Finding purpose. Unlocking potential.
Union College – Experience the Spirit

About
  • About Union College
    • About Seventh-day Adventists
    • Accreditation
    • College Symbols
    • Consumer Information
    • Employment
    • Employee Resources (login)
    • Mission and Vision
  • Connect with Union
    • News from Union College
    • Contact Us

  • College Leadership
    • Board of Trustees
    • Employee Directory
  • Lincoln, Nebraska, a great place to learn
    • things to do |
    • places to eat |
    • where to stay


Thumbnail of an illustration of campus. Campus map
  • Google Maps
  • Map with accessibility features
Academics
  • Find majors and programs
  • Academic Support
    • Computer labs
    • Library
    • Records Office
    • Studio for Writing and Speaking
  • Information and resources
    • Academic bulletin
    • Academic calendar
    • Canvas
    • Class schedules
    • Final exam schedules
    • Accommodations and accessibility
    • Graduation information
    • Transcript request
  • Student Success
    • Academic and life coaching
    • Disability services and access
    • Career services
    • Tutoring
  • Professional Excellence Program
Alumni
Stay connected to Union
    • Join us for Homecoming!
      • April 7-10, 2022
    • News from Union College
    • Read CORDmagazine
    • Watch live events
    • Find event photos on Facebook
    • Update your info and share news
    • Read Pastor David Kabanje's daily devotionals
  • Advancement Office
  • Ways to give
    • Give online
    • Planned giving
    • More giving opportunities
  • Request transcripts
    (via Parchment)
  • Explore our history
    • Clocktower archive (1927-2010)
    • Educational Messenger (1905-1926)
    • Library photo collections
Campus Life
  • Student Life Office
    • About the Student Life Office
    • Residence Halls
    • Campus apartments
    • Find clubs on uGroups

  • Athletics
    • Varsity calendar
    • High school tournaments
  • Campus Ministries
    • Upcoming events
    • Good Morning Union
    • International Volunteers and Taskforce
    • Project Impact
    • Watch worship services on uTV
  • Services for campus
    • Campus Health
    • Campus Safety
    • Campus Store
    • Information Systems
    • Integrated Marketing Communications
    • Library
    • Student Employment
    • Plant Services
    • Accessibility Services
    • Union Market
Community
  • Services for our community
    • George Stone Elementary School
    • Guest Services at the Ortner Center
      • Guest rooms
      • Meeting spaces
      • Reservations
    • Union Market Dining Services
  •  
    • Larson Lifestyle Center
      • Become a member
      • Facility rental and parties
      • Swimming lessons
    • Library
      • Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society
  • Events for our community
    • Athletics
      • Athletic calendar
    • Arts and performance calendar
Parents
  • Prospective parent links
    • Why Union students succeed
    • Finding a calling: read examples
    • Financing a Christian education
      • Scholarships and financial aid
      • Tuition
      • Financial FAQ
      • Financial checklist
      • Financial aid forms
      • Contact Student Financial Services
    • Help plan a campus visit
    • Learn about Lincoln, Nebraska
  • Current parent links
    • Services for parents
      • Order a Party Pack
      • Order LifeSavors
      • Make a payment online
    • Events
      • Parents Weekend (Sept. 24-26, 2021)
      • Graduation (May 6-8, 2022)
      • Watch uTV
      • See photos on Facebook
Thumbnail of the Boones. Watch: parents share how Union helped their daughter find her calling.
Thumbnail of Pastor Rich Carlson. Watch: the 5 biggest decisions in life.
Prospective Students
  • Admissions Office
    • Apply online
    • Union's guarantee
    • Plan your campus visit

  • Financial information
    • Scholarships
    • Costs
    • Financial FAQ
    • Net price calculator
    • Financial aid forms
    • Student Financial Services
  • Learn more about Union
    • Academic and life coaching
    • Residence Halls
    • See our majors and programs
    • Interactive campus map
    • Follow us on Instagram

  • Checklists
    • After you're accepted
    • Financial clearance
    • International students
    • Transfer students
Thumbnail of Mary with play button. Union inspired Mary to excel in nursing and gain spiritual confidence.
Thumbnail of Joslyn with a play button. When a letter arrived from a little Nebraska college, Joslyn heard God calling.
November 28, 2016

Beyond the bottom line

Spencer Way
Spencer Way discovered his career path through an internship at Adventist Health System.

It was the first day of his summer internship at Texas Health Huguley Hospital Fort Worth South. Spencer Way was walking down the pristine halls of the giant hospital with Kent Tucker who was then Vice President for Ancillary Services. To Way’s surprise, Tucker knew every single person they passed. He would ask, how was your trip last weekend? Or, how is your sister doing? During that two-hour tour, Tucker taught Way the most important thing about leadership that he would ever learn.

“People matter first and last,” Way said of what he learned from Tucker.

Not only that, but Tucker picked up trash everywhere he walked on the hospital grounds. One day, Way asked Tucker why he did that, especially when there were others who were paid to keep the grounds clean. Tucker responded, “Everyone needs to pitch in, and it starts with me.”

But Way’s education in leadership began before his internship ever started. In his classes at Union, Way learned from finance professor Kent Stahly that a profession in managing wealth can lead to a purpose-driven life. Barry Forbes, chair of the Division of Business and Computer Science, connected Way to different people at Adventist Health System to inspire and prepare him for a challenging and purpose-driven career.

“It really solidified my experience,” Way said of the internship required of every business student at Union. After he interviewed for his internship at Adventist Health System, the director called to tell him they wanted him but his resume was a little boring. So, the director asked, what do you want?

“I told him I wanted an internship that mirrors the residency program, because that’s what I wanted to do after graduation,” Way recalled. Okay, the director said, I’ll make some calls. “I talked to hundreds of people that summer,” Way remembers of his internship experience. “It was a tremendous opportunity to serve.”

After his internship, Way landed a coveted residency position with Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver. By day he works at the hospital and by night he attends classes to earn an MBA at the University of Colorado. With only a few months left in the program, Way is looking forward to a lifetime of service in the healthcare industry.

“If Adventist Health System will have me, I’ll stay as long as I can,” Way says. “It is a privilege to work here.”

Looking back, Way credits his experience at Union College with forming the foundation necessary to excel in his career. He knew from the beginning of his freshman year that he wanted a career that challenged him intellectually while providing constant opportunities for growth and learning and, most importantly, the ability to make a difference.

“I knew I wouldn’t stick to a career that didn’t have a purpose that was bigger than the bottom line.”

Nevertheless, it wasn’t always an easy journey. Way remembers in his college classes feeling frustrated with how many books he was required to read about ethics and service and the why of business. “I already get it!” he remembered thinking. “Why do they keep trying to sell this to me?”

And yet, Way claims that those same frustrating books on ethics helped form the most important component of his job today. And it’s something he is extremely grateful for. “I rely on the moral compass that I developed at Union more than anything else,” he maintains.

Reflecting on his daily work in the hospital, Way said one of the main challenges facing the healthcare industry today is the physical distance between the patients and those who make critical decisions affecting them. Without the daily interaction with patients, Way said, it’s easy to drift from the their needs. And the only way to face that challenge is with a strong ethical foundation.

Thanks to the strong moral background he learned in his classes at Union and the practical leadership experience he gained from his internship, Way now has the opportunity and courage to ask what does this look like from the patient’s perspective? That moral focus in daily decision-making is what motivates and fulfills Way in his career.

“I wouldn’t be in this job now if it weren’t for Union,” Way declares. His search for a career started with values, and ultimately that is where his internship led him: service to something bigger than himself. “For that, I owe Union a deep debt of gratitude.”

Media contact

Ryan Teller
Director of Public Relations
402.486.2600 ext. 2272
ryan.teller@ucollege.edu

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

 

Footer – About/Contact

Union College

... is an accredited, Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher learning in Lincoln, Nebraska since 1891.

  • Learn about Union
  • Consumer Information
  • Employment
  • Website privacy policy

Contact us

ucinfo@ucollege.edu | 402.486.2600
3800 South 48th Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 68506 USA

Footer – Campus systems

Personnel Directory

Employee directory and biographies.

PG

Student directory.

Portal

Register for classes, see grades, make a payment and more.

Canvas

Participate in classes, online.

Footer – Campus systems 2

Library

Access resources and find your study spot.

Calendars

Events | Academic and Class Schedule.

uGroups

Connect and communicate with campus.

Good Morning Union

A devotional thought for every school day.

Footer – Column 4

 

Apply

$

Affordability

Academic Programs

 

Get directions

Ranked top tier by US News
 
News ...
  • News from Union College
  • Christianna Nesmith: putting the community in college
  • Video: AdventHealth Innovation Classroom
  • Video: Union College shakes up higher education with "substitute" students
  • A class with monstrous appeal
  • Tanner Forde: finding a calling in the pandemic
  • VIDEO: Humility is everything
  • Construction to begin on new wellness center
  • ScholarshipUniverse helps students find “a needle in a haystack”
  • Global Health Nursing: a new perspective on patient care
  • Jefferson Gibson: listening for God in the cafeteria
  • Michael Amankwaa: campus weatherman
  • Kailey Erkhart: A career in compassion
  • Home
  • About Union College
  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • Advancement Office
  • Campus Ministries
  • Campus Services
  • Services for Parents
  • Student Life
  • Student Success