How Are You Supposed to Pronounce M.A.C. Avenue at MSU?

If you were a student at Michigan State University or if you spent any time in Downtown East Lansing at all, it's more than likely you've come across M.A.C. Avenue.

Maybe you've attempted to turn onto it while students were crossing. Maybe you've been one of those students stumbling across the walkway at 2:30 in the morning on a Saturday.

Why M.A.C. Avenue Confuses So Many People

Regardless of how you've come across it, I'm wondering: how do you pronounce it?

Here's the thing... I've lived in Lansing for more than 15 years, and I've used two different pronunciations: Mack (rhymes with smack) Ave or saying each letter individually: Em-Aye-See.

Is It Pronounced “Mack” or “Em-Aye-See”?

However, I was recently asked point blank which way it was supposed to be pronounced, and I couldn't give an answer. So, I went in search of one.

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What I learned is that people pronounce it both ways. However, the way it's meant to be pronounced is each letter individually: M.A.C. Avenue (pronounced: Em-Aye-See).

What M.A.C. Actually Stands For

The reason for saying each letter is that it actually stands for Michigan Agricultural College. Michigan State University was originally named Michigan Agricultural College back when it was founded in 1855.

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Regardless of whether it's the "correct" way or not, people are going to pronounce it however they want. As long as you get to where you're going, it doesn't matter too much. Unless you ask a disgruntled historian.