State lawmakers approved 16 million in funding for the campus on the final day of the session on Monday.

Representative Jason Conger says it's a great development for central Oregon.

"It's definitely a huge economic driver, not just for the direct jobs, like the construction jobs, but also for potential employers being attracted to the area becuase we'll now have a four year university and the entrepreneurs that will want to be involved with a four year campus."

Conger says making OSU Cascades into a four year univeristy has been decades in the making, but the last couple years with all the community support, has really help make this a reality.