Colorado State University is considering a partnership between its student newspaper and The Coloradoan, which is owned by the Gannett Company, according to the Associated Press.

Gannett has previously bought two student papers in Florida that had been run by for-profit companies.

The Colorado State publication, The Rocky Mountain Collegian, like most student papers, is owned by its university. Gannett’s deal with Colorado State, if completed, could set the stage for the media company’s expansion into the greater student-paper market.

The university’s president, Larry E. Penley, met with The Coloradoan’s editor and publisher yesterday. Students on the paper’s staff were not informed of the meeting and are concerned about a possible takeover, the Collegian reported. Talks are in the early stages, and the university has asked Gannett to write a formal proposal.

The Collegian is perhaps best known for publishing a controversial 2007 editorial that used an obscene word to criticize President Bush. —Beckie Supiano