On December 16, 2013, SPA held an opening ceremony of the professional development program “Mid-level management in public administration: theory and practice”. The course completed 2010 – 2013 Public Service Development Program aimed to improve professional skills of civil servants of the Republic Tatarstan. The learning process started with welcome speeches by Aleksandr Belov, Head of the Department for Public Service and Personnel of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, and Liliya Nurgatina, Director of the School. Liliya Nurgatina noted that the 72-hour program is a full-fledged professional development program. “There is no substitute for live communication with professors, the best experts in the field”, she said.