Universities articulate their identities during moments of organizational change. The process of development of university identity is herein explored from multiple theoretical strands: (a) industrial/organizational psychology, (b) human development/social psychology, (c) marketing, and (d) postmodern sociological. This article provides an analysis of historic and emergent theories of identity development, suggesting commonalities such as: people seek positive self-identification with their universities; people use comparative "like me versus not like me" strategies; a view toward history and legacy is common, but need to be balanced by a view that identity is evolutionary, complex, and mutable. A case example of complex identity challenges for branch campuses is presented.