Martin Sheen was too busy playing president to accept an honorary degree.
The actor's shooting schedule for NBC's "The West Wing" kept him from attending Antioch College's commencement on Saturday in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Antioch president Robert Devine had to tell the 92 graduates that the man who plays President Josiah Bartlet on the popular television show wasn't showing up.
"I think he missed out, personally," said Sara Walton, 22, a graduate from Louisville, Ky. "We don't need the celebrity to celebrate such a unique place. We draw our own attention."
Sheen, a native of nearby Dayton, sent a letter saying he was honored to be associated with the college, which works for peace and human rights. He said attending a Shakespeare play at Antioch in 1954 when he was 14 had played a role in his pursuit of an acting career.
Last year, graduating seniors invited Pennsylvania death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of murdering a police officer 20 years ago, to be commencement speaker.