CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga Community College's RN program lost its accreditation from a national commission that says the majority of the program's part-time faculty do not have master's degrees in nursing and the school has not provided evidence to show its graduates are competently prepared.

In a letter dated March 29, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission informed Tri-C President Jerry Sue Thornton that its board voted three weeks earlier to deny continuing accreditation of the two-year program that trains students to become registered nurses. The letter made no mention of Tri-C's one-year practical nursing program.

In a separate letter, sent on March 29 to Tri-C's dean of nursing, the accrediting commission said other reasons for its decision included:

• The program's lack of rationale for using faculty who don't have master's degrees in nursing.

• Its lack of evidence that the number and use of the faculty are sufficient to ensure achievement of program outcomes.

• That the satisfaction of graduates and employers has not been systematically assessed.

In a telephone interview Friday afternoon, Thornton said accreditation -- certification that the school has met certain standards -- was reinstated as soon as Tri-C filed an intent to appeal the commission's decision. That notice of appeal was dated April 10. And the accrediting commission website now describes Tri-C's status as, "Spring 2010 decision of Continuing Accreditation with Conditions is continued pending appeal filed April 2013"

A college spokesman said that the issue dates back to 2010.

But it's not about quality, Thornton said.

"It is really are we meeting the letter of the law on their rules and regs. We think we are and we need to prove that.

"What we have said, 'is look at the outcomes of our students," she said. "They are passing an external exam that we have no control over. They're passing at a higher rate than many other institutions.'"

Slightly more than 93 percent of Tri-C students passed the Ohio Board of Nursing's RN exam in 2012, according to the board. That's higher than the state and national averages of 90 percent.

Thornton also said the college has surveyed students and employers and found that both are satisfied with the program.

"It really gets down to interpretation," she said. "But we have demonstrated over and over that we have evaluated our programs, we are evaluating our students and we are evaluating our placement of students in the hospitals."

The RN program began in 1964, was first accredited in the fall of 1969 and currently has 1,062 students, according to a college spokeswoman.

It still has approval from the Ohio Board of Nursing and its graduates can still gain their license by passing the state test, said Lisa Emrich, the nursing board's program manager.

But loss of accreditation triggers a review of the school's program, everything from its curriculum to its faculty contracts and policies, Emrich said.

Thornton said Tri-C will file an appeal with the accrediting commission within the 45 days it has to do so.

The school paid the $1,250 fee required by the accrediting commission along with its intent to appeal, according to documents provided by Tri-C. In its letter to Thornton, the commission makes clear that it requires an additional $10,000 fee before it will schedule an appeal hearing.

"I think we have a difference of opinion on interpretation of their guidelines and their regulations," Thornton said.

When asked if the majority of the school's part-time instructors have master's degrees in nursing, she said:

"It depends on how you count them and I don't want to go into detail on this because we are under appeal.

Later in the interview she said, "We think the appeal is a great opportunity for clarification on both sides. "d later in the conversation. I don't want to do anything to damage our appeal."