KNOXVILLE — A Knoxville architectural firm has committed $50,000 to help University of Tennessee students over the next decade.

Design Innovations Architects has established a fund in the College of Architecture and

Design that will assist students with field trip funding, travel for conferences and special occasions, and student publications, said Faris N. Eid, president of Design Innovations Architects and a 1983 graduate of the UT architecture program.

“When I attended school, I was fortunate to receive grants which allowed me to obtain my degree,” Eid said. “It is now our turn to provide the assistance and give back to the school.”

Dean Marleen Davis welcomed the commitment, which will be paid over 10 years.

“This gift will enhance the students’ educational experiences by providing opportunities that would not otherwise be possible,” Davis said. “On behalf of the students and faculty, we thank Faris and his staff for their tremendous generosity.”

Eid, a member of the American Institute of Architects, founded the firm in 1989. It has a staff of 11 and most recently has designed the Mortgage Investors Group Building at Interstate 40 and Gallaher View Road, the addition to the First Baptist Church of Powell and the Jefferson Commons Apartments in Fort Sanders.

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