An increase in enrollment of up to 25 per cent in the School of Education hinges upon the success of a $2,000,000 drive for construction of a new, centralized building, Dean Keppel announced yesterday.

The new building, which will eventually be erected on a recently-acquired property on Kirkland St., between Littauer and New Lecture Hall, would serve as a centralized office headquarters for five other Education School buildings along Kirkland St.

The University purchased the property for $200,000 during the Christmas vacation from the estate of Charles F. Batchelder '78. Batcherlder was the eldest alumnus of the College until his death in November, 1954.

Edward Reynolds '15, Administrative Vice-President, said the University is "giving the School of Education first shot at the property." Keppel added that the school is definitely planning to use the site. "We just can't move an inch now," he lamented. "Students are hanging from the rafters around here."

The new building has actually been written into the Education School's fund drive for five years, but "now that we've obtained a definite location for it, we can proceed with an active fund-raising campaign," Keppel continued.

Keppel hopes to use the new building, which would be between Lawrence and Peabody Halls, as a central link to connect all Education School buildings along Kirkland St. from Lawrence to the corner of Oxford and Kirkland Sts.

Until the school obtains enough money to proceed with construction, it will use the house now on the property for office space.