Koons was eased out in 1898 by the Board of Trustees, chaired by William Edgar Simonds.
According to historian Walter Stemmons, the trustees were dissatisfied with Koons' relaxed approach to governance and wanted a firmer hand on the tiller.
Koons returned to the faculty as a professor of natural science and political economy.
The trustees also appointed him curator of the college's natural history museum, granted him a cottage on campus, and allowed him various other perks and sinecures.

Koons had been a popular president, and his removal and replacement by George Washington Flint, who was a believer in classical education, triggered a slow-burning revolt.
Faculty and the State Grange finally demanded Flint's ouster.
Flint resigned in 1901.
Koons remained a popular professor at the college until his death in 1903.
Following his departure as president, his scientific pursuits took him to Alaska in 1898 and the Grand Canyon and Yosemite in 1903, where he collected geological specimens.
Koons was eased out in 1898 by the Board of Trustees, chaired by William Edgar Simonds. According to historian Walter Stemmons, the trustees were dissatisfied with Koons' relaxed approach to governance and wanted a firmer hand on the tiller. Koons returned to the faculty as a professor of natural science and political economy. The trustees also appointed him curator of the college's natural history museum, granted him a cottage on campus, and allowed him various other perks and sinecures.
Koons had been a popular president, and his removal and replacement by George Washington Flint, who was a believer in classical education, triggered a slow-burning revolt. Faculty and the State Grange finally demanded Flint's ouster. Flint resigned in 1901. Koons remained a popular professor at the college until his death in 1903. Following his departure as president, his scientific pursuits took him to Alaska in 1898 and the Grand Canyon and Yosemite in 1903, where he collected geological specimens.
Benjamin F. Koons