Syracuse, N.Y. -- Upstate Medical University's medical school has been removed from probation by a national accreditation group.

Dr. David Duggan, dean of the medical school, told faculty and students today that the Liaison Committee on Medical Education -- LCME for short -- notified him in a Wednesday night phone call of its decision to lift Upstate's probationary status.

The LCME put Upstate on probation in February of 2012 because of concerns over how the school was run, its curriculum and other issues.

Upstate officials subsequently set out to fix the problems identified by LCME. Dr. Steven J. Scheinman resigned as dean after LCME recommended probation for Upstate. Duggan stepped in as interim dean and was appointed dean in March. The medical school has remained fully accredited during the probationary period.

Losing accreditation would have been a death penalty for Upstate because the school would no longer be able to offer medical degrees.

Upstate spokesman Darryl Geddes said the school expects to learn more details of the LCME's decision over the next week.

"We will have more details when the formal letter is in hand, but I did not want to wait in sharing this news with the many, many people here who have worked so diligently to achieve this outcome," Duggan wrote in a note to faculty and students.

One of LCME's major criticisms was Upstate's lack of a central committee with the authority to make changes in the school's courses.

The LCME also was concerned over a cheating scandal that occurred in 2012 involving fourth-year medical students who helped each other on online quizzes in a required medical literature course.

Accreditation is important because it shows that a medical school meets national standards. Graduating from an LCME-accredited school is a condition for a medical license in most states.

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Upstate medical school taken off probation by national accreditation group