Prior to that, Spencer began teaching at Wofford College (Spartanburg, South Carolina) in 1906, as an assistant professor of English.
He stayed at this position for seven years during which time he also served as reporter and copy reader (1913, 1917–1918) for the Milwaukee Journal.
This position was short-lived as Spencer felt it his duty, as war raged in Europe, to enlist in the military.
During the later part of the First World War (1918), Spencer became a captain in military intelligence for the United States Army.
After the war, Lyle maintained his Army ties and in 1929 was appointed lieutenant colonel, in the special reserves[6] He retained this rank until his retirement some ten years later.
In September, 1919 Spencer resumed teaching, accepting a position as Director of the School of Journalism at the University of Washington.
During his inaugural address he stated, “When the Universities in any country cease to be in close touch with the social life and institutions of the people ... their days of influence are numbered.” Spencer also advocated admission requirements be stiffened and that elective and so-called "sop-courses" be dropped.
He felt arts and sciences should be the heart of higher education thereby greatly diminishing the role of technical and vocational training.
The league felt that the university and especially the president were being biased toward the graduate school, and were preventing new students from enrolling.
The college provided hard core courses in math, science and language for men about to enter military service.
While teaching at Wofford, Spencer met and married Ms. Lois Hill, but the marriage lasted only 10 years.
Spencer was also active in various societies including: the American Association of Schools and Journalism Departments, Tau Kappa Alpha, Sigma Delta Chi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Phi Beta Kappa (April 24, 1931), Rotary Club,[2] Sons of the American Revolution, Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (Eng.).